The Criminals and A--holes can go take a flying leap

 

Residents Back Oak Lawn Police In Wake Of Teen Arrest Video

Oak Lawn residents support the embattled police department during public comments at village board meeting. Board back cops "110 percent."

Lorraine Swanson, Patch Staff

Posted Wed, Aug 10, 2022 at 12:38 am CT|Updated Wed, Aug 10, 2022 at 6:44 pm CT

Ryan Clancy, brother of Patricia Swank, one of three Chicago police officers who took their own lives in July, reads remarks supporting Oak Lawn police at Tuesday's village board meeting. (Lorraine Swanson/Patch)

OAK LAWN, IL — Oak Lawn residents resoundingly supported the police department in their public comments during Tuesday morning's village board meeting in the wake of a citizen's video last month capturing officers punching and tasing an Arab American youth. Police allege the teen fled a traffic stop and was later found to be carrying a loaded gun. 

The case is currently being reviewed by the Illinois State Police. Residents also blamed the news media for telling only one side of the story that has made Oak Lawn the subject of recent demonstrations calling for the three officers involved to be charged and fired. Many of those commenting thanked and praised officers for taking a gun off the streets on July 27. 

Felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and resisting charges filed against the 17-year-old boy are currently being reviewed by Cook County State's Attorney's Juvenile Division. After spending several days at Advocate Christ Medical Center due to injuries from his arrest, the Bridgeview teen was released to the custody of his parents following a detention hearing last week in juvenile court. The teen has a preliminary hearing in a few weeks, and has also filed a federal lawsuit against the village. 

It was the residents' turn to speak out about the citizen's video, as well as the dash-cam video released by Oak Lawn police the day after the arrest. The strongest comments came from Mt. Greenwood resident Ryan Clancy, who grew up in Oak Lawn's St. Catherine parish and is the brother of Patricia Swank, one of three Chicago police officers who took their own lives last month. 

"We need to respect, obey and protect those who are protecting us," Clancy said. "We will continue to see a violent and lawless society who do not listen to lawful orders and obey the commends of our officers."

Clancy called the news media "pathetic" for not having the backs of police officers in headlines about a teen getting beaten by village police officers in a "controversial" arrest video. Instead, Clancy said the news headlines should focus on a 17-year-old juvenile that failed to obey lawful orders, ran away from cops, and is caught reaching for a loaded gun, and got arrested with use of physical force until officers deemed there was no more violent threat. 

"For those of you who support a criminal rather than these police officers, I ask if you would be comfortable with this 17-year-old running toward you with that gun," Clancy said. "I ask if you would be comfortable with him being around your children with his loaded weapon. I ask if you would be safe with him bringing that gun into our parks, restaurants or even our homes. If you say yes to any of those questions, you are simply delusional and refuse to accept the fact that officers removed both a criminal and a violent weapon from the streets that day and potentially saved lives."

Oak Lawn business owner Jim Shirazi said he's had numerous incidents with his businesses, and always found Oak Lawn police officers to be "very professional."

"They treat you with the utmost respect and follow protocol," Shirazi said. "I just want to say thank you. You guys are doing a wonderful job in this community. We need a safe community, so thank you [village] trustees. Oak Lawn is safe. I feel safe here."

Many residents who spoke out thanked the Oak Lawn Police Department and relinquished part of their allotted time to watch a 23-minute video submitted by Oak Lawn resident Mary Niego McNamara, showing a compilation of body- and dashboard-camera video of police officers around the country getting gunned down during routine traffic stops and other incidents. She said attempts by the news media to paint Oak Lawn police as inept and racist made her herself, her family and "many, many Oak Lawn residents furious."

"In this incident, while Oak Lawn officers were clearly trying to do their job, the 17-year-old boy chose to disobey the officers while carrying a loaded and illegal gun," Niego McNamara said. "When armed suspects don't follow police officers' directions, the police officers know they are in a very volatile situation where they can become another statistic and be killed."

Steve Radice, a former village employee and Oak Lawn resident, said he came to voice his support for the men and women of the Oak Lawn Police Department. He said as the father of two adult sons, had they been caught as juveniles running away from police, resisting arrest and armed with a loaded firearm, "the police would be the least of their concerns."

"As I'm watching all this unfold, I'm thinking of this 17-year-old's mother," Radice said. "She should be thanking Oak Lawn police. If that young man had gotten to his pistol and fired it and hit someone, he may never see the light of day again. He's not going to spend the rest of his life in prison or dead, so I just think we got it all screwed up here."

Not all of those commenting were in favor of Oak Lawn police. Mark Kuehner, a member of Beverly-based Southsiders for Peace, said he was outraged when he first viewed the citizen's video that surfaced of the July 27 arrest. Kuehner blasted village board members, stating the Oak Lawn Police Department has a history and pattern of "incompetence, unprofessionalism, racism and brutality."

"There was absolutely no excuse for police officers to beat a child like they did," Kuehner added. "This is disgraceful behavior. These officers should be held accountable for what they've done. I think they should be fired immediately. Each and every one of you knows full well of the dozens of lawsuits, complaints, judgements and out of court settlements that have been going on for many, many years in Oak Lawn … This is your moment to do something about it."

Don Gross, who said he was ties to the south suburbs, blasted the village board for holding a morning meeting when most people were working and could not attend. He recited the names of people of color, who died while in the hands of police. 

"I've talked to a lot of those families. They're saying the same stuff about their loved ones being killed for no reason, about these lives being taken away," Gross said. "You're trying to say only the families of police officers are feeling the violence, they felt sad? What about the lives taken by police."

Trustee Alex Olejniczak (Dist 2) said the village has alternated biweekly morning and evening meetings for the past few years.

"This board backs our police department 110-percent," Olejniczak said.

Mayor Terry Vorderer, a retired Oak Lawn police officer, challenged Kuehner to provide proof of all the lawsuits filed against the police department. 

"I've been around here a long time," Vorderer said. "I've never had the lawsuits that you're claiming this police department has had, or the brutality accusations. This is a great police department that sets the professional standard for the entire southwest community. If you've got evidence, please bring it to me."