A group of lawyers on Tuesday condemned the Chicago police’s handling of protests surrounding the Democratic National Convention. They denounced the “massive use of force” by officers and claimed that two people were hospitalized after their arrests.
The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild said in a statement that 14 people were arrested during demonstrations on Sunday and Monday (the eve and the first day of the convention).
“The response we have seen so far from the Chicago police to First Amendment-protected activities is extremely intimidating to people who want to speak out at this crucial moment,” said Amanda Yarusso, a member of the lawyers’ union’s mass defense committee.
The bar association said one of those arrested on Sunday was “assaulted by CPD officers during the arrest, resulting in the individual being hospitalized.” Another person was taken to a hospital after being “beaten” by police during a march between Union Park and the United Center convention hall on Monday, the association said.
Chicago police have only publicly announced that two people were arrested on Sunday – a 28-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman. Both were charged with resisting or obstructing a police officer. The man was also charged with criminal damage, while the woman was charged with criminal damage.
Chicago police stand in a huddle after clearing Park 578 of protesters and reporters after numerous demonstrators breached the security perimeter near the United Center on Monday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun Times
According to an arrest report, officers approached the woman around 8 p.m. Sunday in the 600 block of South Wabash after she was observed putting a marker on a sign. She attempted to run from officers and “began waving her arms” and disobeying commands when they caught up to her. Eventually, an “emergency arrest was made.”
The man tried to prevent their arrest and began kicking police motorcycles, his arrest report states. He also began thrashing around when police tried to arrest him and was also taken to the ground.
Both detainees “were detained for hours before being allowed to speak with an attorney,” the bar association said, “and were not allowed to have private phone conversations with attorneys at the police station, a violation of CPD policies and procedures and the law.”
According to court records, both were released from custody following a detention hearing on Monday.
During a press conference Monday, Police Commissioner Larry Snelling mentioned only the arrest of the woman, who he said “was not part of the march. I will not associate this person with the peaceful protest.” Snelling and other officials are expected to provide details of Monday’s arrests during a press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The lawyers’ union also criticized police for preventing protesters from setting up tents in Union Park, where some of this week’s major demonstrations are starting. The group called the move “targeted harassment” and noted that the city “rightly allows homeless people to sleep in tents in public parks.”
The criticism comes just five days after the lawyers’ union sent a scathing letter to Snelling and Mayor Brandon Johnson warning of possible police abuses during the convention.
The letter, signed by 65 legal organizations, attorneys and legal staff, warned against “a repeat of the violence and violations committed by the CPD” during controversial demonstrations dating back decades, including those that occurred around the 1968 Democratic National Convention and after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
“People have the right to exercise their rights to free speech and assembly, including rallies, marches and demonstrations,” the group wrote in Thursday’s letter. “We urge you to respect these cherished, inviolable rights.”
