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Home » News » Archives » U.S. Olympian, Others Charge Illegal Detention and Search by Chicago Police
U.S. Olympian, Others Charge Illegal Detention and Search by Chicago Police For Immediate Release March 24, 2003 CHICAGO - A member of the 2002 United States Winter Olympic Team was illegally stopped, detained and searched by the Chicago Police Department, according to a complaint filed in Chicago federal district court today. In the lawsuit, Shani Davis, a world class speed skater, and brothers Damien Joyner and Quincy Joyner recount separate events in which Chicago police officers stopped them while on foot, detained them and searched them without reasonable suspicion or other lawful justification. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois charged in the complaint that in addition to the violations of these individuals� rights, these incidents reflect policies, practices and customs within the Chicago Police Department causing such violations to occur regularly. The result, the plaintiffs charge, is unwarranted stops and searches of law-abiding young men, particularly African Americans and Hispanics. The case, Shani Davis, Damien Joyner and Quincy Joyner v. The City of Chicago, was filed this morning. At the center of the lawsuit are similar events involving unwarranted stops and searches of both Mr. Davis and the Joyners at the hands of Chicago police officers. In March of 2001, a CPD officer confronted Mr. Davis as he walked along a sidewalk on Howard Street. The officer ordered Mr. Davis to put his hands against the wall and subjected him to an intrusive search. After running his hands over Mr. Davis� arms, legs and torso, the officer pulled Mr. Davis� pants and underwear away from his body and shined a flashlight down Mr. Davis� pants. He then ordered Mr. Davis to turn around, and repeated the process � pulling Mr. Davis� pants and underwear away from his body. The officer also searched inside Mr. Davis� pants pockets. The officer did not find � and Mr. Davis did not have � any illegal items on his person. Finally, Mr. Davis was allowed to proceed. Mr. Davis also complains about another stop and search that occurred months earlier on Belmont Avenue. Damien and Quincy Joyner were stopped by two CPD officers while walking near Belmont and Clark Streets in January 2002. The Joyner brothers were walking along Belmont toward the CTA station at Sheffield when the officers stopped them, ordered them to place their hands on a CPD vehicle and searched both Damien and Quincy. One of the police officers asked Quincy Joyner about the contents of a bag he was carrying, and searched through the camera equipment and papers in the bag without permission. The officers did not find � and the Joyners did not have � any illegal items. �These events demonstrate that there is a fundamental problem with the way police treat individuals on the streets of Chicago,� said Harvey Grossman, Legal Director for the ACLU of Illinois, at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. �Young, law-abiding men like Shani Davis and the Joyners should not be subjected to this humiliating, abusive behavior.� The lawsuit asks the court to order the City of Chicago to adequately train, supervise and to discipline, when appropriate, CPD officers in stopping, detaining and searching civilians on the street. The lawsuit also seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for Mr. Davis and the Joyners to compensate the men for the humiliation and maltreatment they suffered. �I travel all over the world as an athlete and receive basic respect wherever I go,� said lead plaintiff Shani Davis. �It is infuriating to be treated like this in my home town. There is no reason that this should have happened to me.� Those sentiments were echoed by Damien Joyner who said, �The entire experience was disconcerting and humiliating. My brother and I did nothing wrong. We were simply stopped, detained and searched without cause. Being on the street should not be a crime.� �The leadership of the CPD has an obligation to train and supervise their officers to respect and protect the rights of all persons in our community,� added the ACLU�s Grossman. �This case makes clear that the Department is not living up to this obligation.� Edward W. Feldman of the Chicago law firm Miller, Shakman & Hamilton is acting as cooperating counsel for this matter. |
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