In This Issue - Vol 6, No. 1 (Fall, 2005)
From the Chairman
Detroit Trooper Indicted for Manslaughter
Chicago Cop Is Scapegoat for Racism Charges
Stephanie Mohr Case on Hold
Update on Wyatt Henderson
Chicago Cop Is Scapegoat for Racism Charges
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Cabrini Green is one of the most dangerous places in Chicago, and the gang members are masterful in their dealings with police. At 10:30 p.m. on April 17, 2003, police spotted a typical drug transaction in a van at the housing project. They stopped the van, recognizing two suspected felons inside, but the occupants refused to get out. Police began negotiating with them while a crowd of housing project residents assembled.
The police called for back-up, and the angry crowd began hurling debris at them. The occupants of the van still refused to budge. After about 45 minutes, the officers determined that force was needed to extract the occupants of the vehicle. The police broke the windows of the van, and the mob of more than 100 people started throwing bricks and cans at them. Police dispersed pepper spray into the vehicle. When no one in the van moved, the officers decided to carry them out.
All the occupants except Freeman allowed police to peacefully extract them from the van. Freeman, however, put up a fight. By this time, back-up police had arrived and more than one officer struck him with his fist. Freeman was at last subdued, handcuffed, and placed in a paddy wagon driven by Officer Vander Mey. Freeman and the others were taken first to the police station and then to the hospital, where it was determined that no one had been injured. In the meantime, approximately 100 tenants of the housing project marched to the police station and started throwing rocks and bottles.
A resident on one of the upper floors of Cabrini Green made a home video of the arrest and gave a copy to the local media. The clarity of the video is poor, but it shows a chaotic situation. From the angle taken, it was impossible to determine the identities of the various policemen, but it was clear that Freeman resisted arrest. A local TV station broadcast the video but neglected to explain key parts of the episode: the long amount of time that the police negotiated with the suspects and the fact that the van occupants were not only notorious gang members involved in a drug deal but were also wanted criminals.
When the video was aired, the Police Superintendent Terry Hillard sided with the gang members, saying that his own police officers were “excessive” in order not to further incite the black community against the white policemen. In addition, since Officer Vander Mey was the tallest man there (he is 6'4"), it appeared that he was one of the ones who struck Freeman and he became the fall guy. His fellow officer, Joseph Grob, was given immunity in exchange for identifying Officer Vander Mey as one of the officers who hit Freeman.
It is clear that the Cook County police regulations on the use of force were not violated. Stunning (i.e., striking or slapping), pepper spray, and canines are standard modes of operation for active resisters. For assailants, punching, kicking, or powerful locks can be used as well as impact weapons such as batons, impact munitions, and tasers.
Officer Vander Mey stayed on the force at full pay for seven months but then was suspended without pay in March 2004. Despite prosecutors’ attempts to plea bargain with him, he has refused to admit any guilt and says he has nothing to apologize for.
On June 4, 2004, he pled not guilty to charges that he kicked and beat a man during an arrest. No trial date has been set; Office Vander Mey continues his suspension without pay.
