Here’s how Chicago mayoral candidates* responded to our questions about civil rights issues.

* Mayor Lightfoot declined to participate in this civil rights questionnaire.

The questions below were developed by Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Loevy & Loevy. Jump to the candidates’ full responses here.

QUESTION 1

Describe the important components of your public safety plan that do not concern investment in the Chicago Police Department and hiring of additional police officers.

KAM BUCKNER

“Public safety isn’t CPD–it’s investing in better schools, creating more affordable housing, making sure we have mental health resources…and tackling other root causes of violence that will keep our communities safe. I will civilianize certain functions in [CPD] and commit to the Treatment Not Trauma…”

BRANDON JOHNSON

“(1) Enact a Day-One Plan to Get Smart and Serious About Crime: On my first day as mayor, I will enact reforms to make CPD more efficient, train and promote 200 new detectives from the existing rank and file, improve transit safety, and get illegal guns off our streets. (2) Invest in our Youth and Communities…”

RODERICK SAWYER

“You probably know I was the architect of Chicago’s police reform, the Empowering Communities for Public Safety Ordinance – the very same legislation that created the 22 District Police Councils to which people are seeking election right now. I fought seven years – with the mayor opposing me…”

JESÚS CHUY GARCÍA

“My plan calls for…Investing in community intervention and preventative efforts: Chicago is home to some of the most innovative Community Violence Intervention efforts in the nation. But they are under-resourced. Even worse, they are unsupported, isolated and, ultimately, undermined by Mayor Lightfoot…”

SOPHIA KING

“I believe strongly that in order to have lasting justice in our communities we need to make significant and intentional investments in addressing what we know are the root causes of crime. To that end my Safety and Justice plan has a number of substantial programs aimed at that exact problem…”

PAUL VALLAS

“Before answering the question, I would like to note that the Consent Decree requirements in all of its components IS investment in the Chicago Police Department which, as reflected below, I will meet and use as a point of departure for investment in neglected aspects of operations that are impairing…”

JA'MAL GREEN

“ABSOLUTELY NO part of my public safety plan concerns investment in the Chicago Police Department OR hiring additional police officers. I have introduced a comprehensive public safety plan called E.P.I.C., which focuses on a four-pronged approach to improving public safety…”

LORI LIGHTFOOT

Mayor Lightfoot declined to respond to this civil rights questionnaire.

WILLIE WILSON

“I will invest in our communities. Especially, communities with the highest levels of gun violence, unemployment, and poverty. I will require our young people graduating from schools to have a trade. I will reopen our mental health clinics and provide counselors for our young people.”

QUESTION 2

Pretextual traffic stops and gun searches by the Chicago Police have skyrocketed in recent years, often without proper data reporting. In 2020, Black drivers in Chicago were pulled over 7x more often than white drivers. Advocates say that this pattern of selective enforcement exacerbates already strained community relations with law enforcement.

What will you as mayor do to identify and remedy racial disparities in policing practices?

KAM BUCKNER

“I’m committed to making sure that every CPD employee, new and existing, will be thoroughly trained in implicit racial bias and violence de-escalation techniques. Additionally, as Mayor, I will make sure CPD is in full compliance with the federally mandated Consent Decree…”

BRANDON JOHNSON

“A big part of police accountability is mandating transparency on police interactions with Chicagoans. We cannot end racial profiling without tracking racial profiling. My administration will make publicly available all arrest demographic data, traffic stop demographic data, and release…”

RODERICK SAWYER

“This would be a top priority in a Sawyer Administration. As I mentioned in my discussion of the police reform ordinance I fought seven years to pass, the policies that are being implemented now will be a big step…”

JESÚS CHUY GARCÍA

“The elements of my approach lean into the historic consent decree governing police reforms in Chicago. However, for me, the consent decree is a floor not a ceiling to our aspirations for a modern police department. In building a modern police force, I will focus on rebuilding the police department using…”

SOPHIA KING

“When confronting racial disparity of any kind – but especially in public services – we have to understand that these barriers, that these costs were created intentionally, so we need to be extremely intentional about how we tear them down. It is clear that the way law enforcement is working now, is not working…”

PAUL VALLAS

“Strong correlation should be respected as raising and requiring immediate attention to a host of questions, the answers to which should be probed immediately. Under my administration, that follow-up and assessment should be citizen-informed, transparent and swift…”

JA'MAL GREEN

“Racial disparities have existed in policing for as long as municipal policing has existed. We must work to end this centuries-old institutionalized racism, and we must do so swiftly. Within my first hundred days, I will start an audit of CPD to identify all areas in which there is racial disparity in its operations…”

LORI LIGHTFOOT

Mayor Lightfoot declined to respond to this civil rights questionnaire.

WILLIE WILSON

“We will bridge the gap between communities and the police that serve them. We will require additional training. Under my Administration everyone will be held accountable.”

 

QUESTION 3

Chicago is one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world. Currently, Chicago’s surveillance system includes 50,000+ City video cameras, thousands of business and residential cameras, facial recognition databases, social media monitoring in Chicago Public Schools, the costly and ineffective ShotSpotter technology, and many other technologies. To date, the City Council has not held a single hearing or considered any ordinance to protect personal privacy in Chicago.

What will you do as mayor to protect Chicagoans’ privacy and ensure that personal data is not kept indefinitely by City agencies? Will you commit to holding City Council hearings on any new surveillance technologies?

KAM BUCKNER

“I will commit to holding City Council hearings on new surveillance technology. Additionally, my administration will commit to transparency overall in how the City manages information and shares information with the public…”

BRANDON JOHNSON

“Chicago spends $9 million a year on ShotSpotter despite clear evidence it is unreliable and overly susceptible to human error. This expensive technology played a pivotal role in the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. That cannot happen again. As mayor, I will end the ShotSpotter contract and invest in new resources…”

RODERICK SAWYER

“Our privacy rights are a troubling issues, especially as we have a need for more security. As an attorney, I understand the delicate balance here. As mayor I will support significantly enhanced transparency for the city, especially in this area. So, yes.”

JESÚS CHUY GARCÍA

“I am absolutely committed to implementing the consent decree and creating a police force dedicated to community support and safety. I do not support the current gang database and will commit to review of police data and records by the OIG or appropriate agencies…”

SOPHIA KING

“Yes, I believe that a strong city council is an essential element of good governance in the City of Chicago, and I would commit to holding City Council hearings on new surveillance technologies that the city is rolling out or considering.”

PAUL VALLAS

“This is an important question. Law enforcement is not immune from the allure of new technology that pervades our society and leads us in both the public and private sectors to plunge in without consequential thinking or analysis. We seldom do the analysis of…”

JA'MAL GREEN

“The flagrant disregard for Chicagoans’ privacy over several failed administrations must be reckoned with, including the dismantling of failed programs such as ShotSpotter. I commit to full transparency on this issue, and will ensure City Council hearings will be held on and and all new surveillance technology.”

LORI LIGHTFOOT

Mayor Lightfoot declined to respond to this civil rights questionnaire.

WILLIE WILSON

“I support the constitution and constitutional policing. I will do whatever is necessary within the law to stop the violence in our city. I will consider holding a hearing on the issue of new surveillance technologies.”

 

QUESTION 4

The City of Chicago has a long record of governmental secrecy and cover-ups. Cook County judges, in response to transparency lawsuits, have regularly found City agencies to be unlawfully withholding public records.

Will you implement a City-wide transparency policy? Will you commit to releasing public records when it is in the public interest to do so even if there is a legal basis to withhold them?

KAM BUCKNER

“Yes, I will implement a citywide transparency policy. My administration will ensure that we have clear government accountability and transparency, and an empowered Inspector General who is given the autonomy and the charter to release findings accessibly…

BRANDON JOHNSON

City agencies and the people who lead them shouldn’t hide behind the law when it comes to matters of public interest and public good. Yes, I commit to a citywide transparency policy. We must ensure that public institutions manage our public resources in a way that maximizes their potential to do good…”

RODERICK SAWYER

“Absolutely. Chicago’s history is abysmal in terms of transparency, and I have been beating the transparency drum my whole life – certainly in my 12 years as an alder and throughout this mayoral campaign.”

 

JESÚS CHUY GARCÍA

“As part of implementing the consent decree I will mandate transparency in how we handle and release public data and data on residents. Releasing public records is critical to maintaining public trust and information should be made available despite legal bases if the public is better served by their release.”

SOPHIA KING

“Yes, transparency is an essential component of good governance. Chicagoans deserve to know what their government is working on for them, and what is not working at all. To the extent permissible by law, I will release public records if it is in the public interest to do so.”

PAUL VALLAS

“FOIA is widely abused and in need of an overhaul. The fact that something falls into an exemption category does not mean the exemption should be invoked; particularly when there is no reason to do so in the context of a specific request – and politics is not an applicable reason in that calculus…”

JA'MAL GREEN

“…I would require full transparency of ALL public records whenever it is possible to do so. The only situation in which records will be allowed to be withheld is in cases of: 1) third party personal privacy, especially in the case of civilians, 2) when doing such would impede an ongoing investigation, or 3) extreme cases of public safety…”

LORI LIGHTFOOT

Mayor Lightfoot declined to respond to this civil rights questionnaire.

WILLIE WILSON

“Yes, I support transparency and will require this in my Administration. I support FOIA and openness.”

QUESTION 5

How would you describe the effectiveness of the City’s police accountability mechanisms, and what concrete steps are you prepared to take to create meaningful accountability for misconduct within the Chicago Police Department?

KAM BUCKNER

“…The Independent Monitor showed that only 5% of Chicago’s consent decree is in full compliance and just 17% are secondarily compliant – that is not sufficient. Mayor Lightfoot and Superintendent Brown have systematically failed to prioritize compliance with the majority of mandated reforms…”

BRANDON JOHNSON

“Lacking. As mayor, I will work closely with the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability to dismantle systemic racism, strongly enforce long-needed police accountability reforms, and evaluate department goals and performance. Specifically, this means…”

RODERICK SAWYER

“I’m extremely prepared to make sure Chicago’s police reform and accountability is extremely effective, it’s my proudest accomplishment in City Council. In addition to the elected representatives here, I will also have envoys from all communities in Chicago, both geographic and demographic, with…”

JESÚS CHUY GARCÍA

“The City’s current police accountability mechanisms are ineffective. For one, the city under the current Mayor is not transparent. And for another, under the current Superintendent officers are not held accountable. My Safety Plan Calls For: Training – Deescalation, Trauma Informed Responses, Anti Bias Training…”

SOPHIA KING

“It is essential that we both uplift our police, and hold them accountable. I do not think that the way the department has been run under this administration has led to good outcomes for safety or for accountability. First off, we need to fire Superintendent Brown and promote new leadership from within the Department…”

PAUL VALLAS

“The City’s police accountability mechanisms are a mixed bag that in the aggregate are in need of a restructure to work as we might hope. I believe the Office of Inspector General in general and its Public Safety Section and Data Transparency Portal are excellent. COPA has yet to…”

JA'MAL GREEN

“Police accountability mechanisms in this city do not work. I am prepared to take on the rampant misconduct within CPD by instituting zero-tolerance policies for racism and discrimination, and by requiring CPD officers to carry their own liability insurance for their own misconduct.”

LORI LIGHTFOOT

Mayor Lightfoot declined to respond to this civil rights questionnaire.

WILLIE WILSON

“We all can do better. I will hold police leadership accountable for dealing with misconduct.”

QUESTION 6

What concrete steps will you take as Mayor to recognize and redress police abuses that have affected Chicago’s Black and Brown communities? Consider the Burge, Watts, and Guevara scandals, among others.

KAM BUCKNER

“I have publicly supported the initiative to build the Burge Torture Survivors memorial for years and will continue that advocacy as Mayor. I’ve also said that the $5.5M and other “benefits” offered are not enough to repair the damage inflicted by state violence on victims of these tragedies…”

BRANDON JOHNSON

“More than 7,000 Chicagoans have been held at an off-the-books warehouse in Homan Square, where they often faced torture and other unconstitutional treatment. We must ensure that the legacy of Jon Burge remains firmly in the past instead of stretching into the future. As mayor, I will…”

RODERICK SAWYER

“As you probably know, in addition to police reform, which I believe addresses the structural deficiencies that allowed those scandals to happen, I also fought Mayor Lightfoot for a Reparations Committee. I only succeeded, due to her opposition, in getting a sub-committee she ensured would be far less effective…”

JESÚS CHUY GARCÍA

“In 2015, I endorsed an Ordinance calling for reparations for victims of police torture and for Burge victims. The package provided: A full and public mayoral apology; $100,000 payments to each of the approximately 60 living police torture survivors who had not received compensation from lawsuits; A center where…”

SOPHIA KING

“Officers who commit these crimes – and that is what they are – need to be held accountable, with firing, loss of pension, and civil liability payments on the table. We also know that we can’t act after the fact. We need to proactive in shaping the recruitment, examination and training processes to ensure…”

PAUL VALLAS

“Individual cases obviously must always be met with commensurate individual redress. However, the Burge, Watts, and Guevara scandals – and those are just the ones most recently known – have many victims and are the product not merely of bad apples, but failed systems…”

JA'MAL GREEN

“Legacies of monsters…are far from over, with people alive today still living in the shadow of the torture they went through. From beatings to electric shock devices, these heinous acts need to be fully accounted for. That means further reparations for all victims of terror once hidden behind the badge.”

LORI LIGHTFOOT

Mayor Lightfoot declined to respond to this civil rights questionnaire.

WILLIE WILSON

“We will be fully transparent and hold everyone accountable for their actions.”

QUESTION 7

recent report highlighted persistent problems with police officers lying, both in their reports and under oath, and a “blue wall of silence” that protects these dishonest officers and stops them from being discovered or disciplined.

How will your administration make sure that lying and perjury are aggressively addressed? How will your administration break down the blue wall of silence and make it safe for whistleblowers to come forward?

KAM BUCKNER

“It’s a top priority of my administration to change the culture of silence and hold people who engage in that culture accountable for their actions. I was one of the authors of the SAFE-T Act that recently passed, and I’m incredibly proud of that work…”

BRANDON JOHNSON

“We must immediately enact the federal consent decree, for which the current mayoral administration has missed every meaningful deadline for implementation. Meeting the requirements of the consent decree more quickly will drastically reduce police misconduct…”

RODERICK SAWYER

“Again, I’ve already begun to address this. My police reform includes provisions about the leeway police are given, being allowed to read other accounts of an incident before making their reports. But we also need to add true consequences to this historical problem in policing. Police have cost the city…”

JESÚS CHUY GARCÍA

“My commitment is to rebuild the police department and creating a police force dedicated to community support and safety. Implementing the consent decree means holding officers accountable for their actions and in following the rules and procedures. I will ensure that the new Police Superintendent is…”

SOPHIA KING

“We need to ensure our officers leverage the technology of body cameras and dash cameras fully and completely for each shift. We need regular audits to ensure compliance and create a culture focused on serving the people instead of a code of silence.”

PAUL VALLAS

“Honesty, integrity and veracity is fundamental to credibility. An officer who lies whether orally or on paper, whether by statement or material omission, forever relinquishes his credibility, Credibility is a fundamental qualification for being a sworn law enforcement officer…”

JA'MAL GREEN

“…It is crucial to enforce strict consequences for lying, limit opportunities to lie in the first place, and heavily push a shift in culture and transparency within the CPD. Whistleblowers are an important resource to these changes, and we will make changes to ensure there are no retaliatory consequences…”

LORI LIGHTFOOT

Mayor Lightfoot declined to respond to this civil rights questionnaire.

WILLIE WILSON

“This requires leadership. I will make sure that we have a CPD that is responsive to the community. I will bring back CAPS and beat meetings with the community and all police leaders. We will do whatever it takes to have opens within the Department.”
The questionnaire was sent to the nine candidates running for Chicago Mayor in the 2023 election. All responses are final as of February 22, 2023. The questions were developed by Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Loevy & Loevy.
Media inquiries should be directed to Stephanie Agnew (sagnew@chicagoappleseed.org) or Matt Thibodeau (thibodeau@loevy.com).