The below statement can be attributed to Colleen Connell, Executive Director, ACLU of Illinois:
“For the second time in weeks, the people of Chicago are presented with video footage of a young Latino man being shot and killed by police during a foot pursuit. Again, a family suffers as the Alvarez family experiences the grief and pain of witnessing the last moments of a loved one.
Chicago communities also suffer trauma with each of these releases - especially Latino communities, which once again see how police respond to people from their neighborhoods. We mourn this loss of life and the repeated trauma experienced by Chicago communities.
The investigation of Mr. Alvarez’s death, like that of Adam Toledo, must be complete and transparent. The people of Chicago deserve answers. And just as important, Chicago residents deserve meaningful changes to policing. They deserve a new policy on foot pursuits that is informed by community voices and driven by community needs - and one that actually results in changes in how police officers treat human beings. This is but one step in creating a Chicago Police Department that serves all Chicagoans, including Black and Brown people.
The lack of meaningful police reform in Chicago is not only costing the City lives, but also taking a psychological toll on communities of color. The City must abandon the current snail’s pace of police reform and become serious about making real changes that serve all neighborhoods.”
