Chanting "Dick Devine what will you do/When the people come for you," several hundred protesters marched through Rogers Park to Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine's home on Saturday, June 2, calling on him to prosecute police accused of brutality.
A coalition of almost 40 anti-police brutality and anti-death penalty organizations signed on for the march, which began at Touhy Park and ended across the street from Devine's home at Warren Park.
"We're here because the city of Chicago has failed to serve justice for the victims of police brutality," said Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network ( CABN ) . "State's Attorney Dick Devine is at the center of that injustice."
CABN helped organize the march, and other participating GLBT groups included Queer to the Left and Sangat. Two Chicago men who have accused police officers in gay-bashing incidents...Kentin Waits and Terry Phalen...also marched.
"We are here because queers, particularly queers of color and transgendered people, are routinely targeted, harassed and beaten by police," said Joey Mogul of Queer to the Left.
Thayer estimated that 500 protesters participated, many of them carrying signs with the names and faces of family members who were the victims of police brutality.
Nearly 25 police officers closely watched the procession, which snaked south on Clark Street from Jarvis to Pratt, and then west to Western Avenue. Officers attempted to stop the march at Clark and Pratt, several blocks from Devine's home. After a brief dispute, protesters were allowed to pass.
Once at the house, demonstrators held a short rally and ran a line of yellow crime scene tape across Devine's yard. Shortly afterward, police removed the tape and several anti-police brutality signs.
Reportedly, Devine was at another event across town during the march.
--Karen Hawkins