A week ago, we watched in horror as an angry mob attacked our US Capitol, killing a police officer and threatening the lives of elected members of Congress and the Vice President of the United States. The assault was an orchestrated effort to disrupt the certification of the votes in the Electoral College, a process established by the Constitution and federal law that stands at the center of the peaceful transfer of power, seeking to overturn the will of the American people as expressed in the November 2020 election. 

This attack was the violent product resulting from a weeks-long campaign by the sitting President to spread lies about fraud in the 2020 election, lies that have been rejected by courts across the country. The baseless campaign to overturn the election specifically targeted Black and Brown votes, suggesting that those votes were undeserving of being counted and considered. This campaign of lies has spread across the country, and shamefully has been adopted by public officials who know that the president’s claims are specious. 

Unfortunately, two members of the Illinois congressional delegation – Representative Mike Bost and Representative Mary Miller – blithely embraced this torrent of lies and voted to challenge lawfully-submitted electoral votes from Arizona and Georgia. These two elected officials cast these offensive votes even after the mob descended on the Capitol, literally after this mob murdered a Capitol police officer and desecrated our nation’s symbol representative government.  

The ACLU of Illinois condemns these votes by Representative Bost and Representative Miller. And, we call on all Illinois residents and voters to hold their elected officials accountable, to resist the allure of elevating fiction over fact, and to demand that everyone sent to represent our state in the Congress of the United States ignore conspiracy theories and lies, and focus on truth and respecting our democratic system of government.  

The following statement can be attributed to Khadine Bennett, Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois:

“Reforming criminal justice and demanding meaningful police accountability are critical priorities for communities and people that are most harmed by the broken policing and criminal legal systems. In Illinois, like in many other states, those most harmed are Black and Brown people. 

Today, the Black Caucus’ Justice Pillar, House Bill 3653, sponsored by Senator Elgie Sims and Representative Justin Slaughter, was approved by the Illinois House and Senate chambers, and is prepared for the Governor’s signature. 

Our system of policing does not demand the appropriate level of accountability – resulting in mistreatment of too many. Massive, national protests pointed out this harm throughout 2020. Likewise, our criminal legal system relies too much on incarceration and punishment and does not provide appropriate opportunity for diversion and rehabilitation.

While there is still work to do, the end of the last seven days of lame duck session has put us on a path that can lead to meaningful change.

The bill includes components of police accountability and criminal legal system reform policy changes that advocates, including the ACLU of Illinois, have been working to move forward for years, and pushing non-stop since the summer. Among other important ACLU priorities, the bill removes an antiquated and unnecessary requirement that those making complaints against police sign a sworn statement. And, the bill addresses the real harm of our bail system which keeps people detained simply because of their economic status.  

We applaud Senator Sims, Representative Slaughter and the entire legislative Black Caucus for their leadership in this area and their commitment to these issues. They embraced the need for change and were committed to moving this legislation through the General Assembly. 

We are excited about the changes made today and look forward to continuing to partner with legislators to continue our work to create a policing and criminal legal system that ensures accountability and reflects a commitment to rehabilitation and restoration over penalties. That work will go on after today.”  

As legislators prepare to consider much-needed legislation to reform policing in Illinois, new polling released today shows that 9 out of 10 (91%) Illinois voters are strongly supportive of legislative efforts that hold police accountable for misconduct. 69% of voters agree that reform is necessary now because of racial bias in policing.

The polling results address a number of proposals contained in what is hoped to be major policing legislation in Illinois. The Legislative Black Caucus released language for a police reform bill that aims to be transformative – House Bill 163 (Senate Amendment #2) – as part of a broader pillar aimed at justice reform.

The polling shows broad voter support for many provisions included in the bill and show that voters are supportive of holistic reform. 

Among other findings, the poll finds that nearly 9 out of 10 voters back:

• Holding law enforcement accountable for violating individuals’ constitutional rights (89% say it should be a major priority)
• Establishing clear and consistent statewide limits surround the use of force by police, including deadly force (80% say it should be a major priority)
• Training all police to a clear and consistent standard surrounding the use of force by police, including deadly force (90% say it should be a major priority)
• Rules mandating that officers are held responsible when they use force without justification resulting in a death (88% support)
• Establishing consequences for not turning on dashboard or body cameras (88% support)

In addition, more than 3 out of 4 voters in Illinois support banning chokeholds (76%) and requiring a state agency to report when a police officer uses force (78%), while an overwhelming 69% of voters want to end special protections for police officers – known as qualified immunity – that allows officers to escape from many lawsuits, denying victims of real harm a day in court.  And nearly two-thirds of voters (66%) support an end of so-called “no-knock” warrants. The warrant process in the state has been under even more scrutiny since public disclosure of body cam video of Chicago social worker Anjanette Young being held handcuffed and naked in her own home during a botched raid. 

Finally, a majority (56%) of voters support ending the antiquated and chilling requirement that someone making a complaint against a police officer must sign a sworn affidavit, opening themselves up to prosecution simply to lodge a complaint against a police officer. 

In response to the release of the overwhelming demonstration of public support for reform by voters in Illinois, Khadine Bennett, Director of Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs at the ACLU of Illinois, which commissioned and released the poll issued the following statement:

“We have seen enough videos, we have heard enough stories, and we have represented enough people who have been victims of abuse, racial profiling, and intimation by police. We know that Black and Brown people in communities throughout Illinois continue to be disproportionately targeted and harmed.

The time for nibbling at the edges is over.

The bill to be considered in Springfield must meet the demands of the people in Illinois who protested and demonstrated after the killing of George Floyd. It has to address use of force that results in death and abuse at the hands of police, and the lack of accountability when police misconduct occurs.

Legislation that holds police accountable when they abuse their power or violate constitutional rights; creates a statewide use of force standard that gives law enforcement and citizens clear guidance for if and when force can be used; restricts the use of military equipment and tactics; removes barriers to anonymous complaints; and requires transparent data collection that measures successful implementation shouldn’t be controversial, it should be expected.

The poll shows that narratives around political backlash to police reform are overblown: just 9% of voters say they would be less likely to support a legislator that increases police accountability, as compared to two-thirds of voters (66%) who said they were more likely to support a legislator who voted for measures that increase police accountability in Illinois. It is time to act. 

Legislators must push back against those who would resist or water down any reform to policing in Illinois. The protests and demonstrations of 2020 make clear, and the polling reinforces, that Illinois voters are ready for change.”

The polling information released today is drawn from two separate polls of 600 voters in Illinois. The first poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group from October 27-November 4. The second poll, also conducted by Global Strategy Group, took place from December 15-21, 2020.  Both surveys have a margin of error of +/- 4.0% and were conducted online using a voter file match. Care was taken to ensure each poll represented the registered voter universe.