Total Injury

On June 14, 1998, Michael Jordan crossed over Bryon Russell of the Utah Jazz en route to a picture-perfect jump shot that gave the Chicago Bulls its sixth NBA championship in eight years (if only the Bulls had such a player in its current series against the Detroit Pistons). In the midst of the championship celebration later that night, Chicago police officers fired 25 bullets into a vehicle carrying 11 young people. Several of those passengers were wounded. On Tuesday, the city council committee recommended that the city of Chicago pay a $2 million personal injury settlement. A Daily Southtown story indicated that the full council is likely going to approve this settlement for these police brutality injuries from almost nine years ago today!

The night of the Bulls’ six championship celebration, the involved youths were turned away from a liquor store when its owner and police officers told them they were closed. The store manager and police said that the car containing the youth then made a U-turn and pulled up on a sidewalk. Police officers alleged that they fired in self-defense, thinking that the car was going to run them over. The passengers in the car said they were no threat at all.

Police bullets peppered the car on its front, side and rear. One of the five plaintiffs involved in the personal injury settlement was hit with four bullets in the side. Other plaintiffs were shot in the buttocks and the elbow and side, respectively. The city added that one plaintiff suffered a leg wound while another woman was grazed with a bullet but did not seek medical attention. The involved officers were later hit with internal discipline charges, none of which were sustained.

In addition to this expected $2 million personal injury settlement, the city had previously settled with other people in the car. Francis Bell lost an eye during the incident and was awarded $1.75 million in her separate personal injury case. Another woman got a $300,000 personal injury settlement in her own case. Alderman Joe Moore of Chicago’s 49^th District was critical in the story of the city settling for nearly $4 million in these cases after not finding the officers wrong of any misconduct.

Alleged instances of Chicago police brutality have most recently prompted a media stir. Just last week, a freelance photographer claimed that she was the victim of Chicago police brutality last summer. In the last couple of months, alleged instances of officer brutality in Chicago have included a disturbing image of an off-duty officer beating a female bartender at an establishment on the Northwest side of the city.