Chicago Youth Protest Police Armed With Assault Rifles

Dec. 12, 2008 – Chicago youth continued to push for a meeting with Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis on Thursday night to discuss his decision to equip police officers with M4 military assault rifles.

Over 20 youth from the Southwest Youth Collaborative protested in the cold, chanting "One, two, three, four; no more M4s" outside the Chicago Police headquarters before attending a board meeting.

Southwest Youth Collaborative has been protesting the department's purchasing of the M4 Carbine assault rifle since October. Weis and Mayor Richard M. Daley announced earlier this year police would be equipped with the rifles to combat armed gangs and criminals.

"[It will] add more heat to the flame," said King Keith, a youth organizer at Southwest Youth Collaborative, about the department's decision.

At a November board meeting, the Southwest Youth Collaborative requested Superintendent Weis meet with community members to hear their concerns. Weis agreed to meet with members before December 11, but requested to have a pre-meeting with only 10 representatives at Kennedy King College, said Keith.

At the meeting, King expressed disappointment with Weis not responding promptly to their invitations, and told the board he feels Weis is taking the matter "very lightly." 

Superintendent General Counsel Debra Kirby told the organization that Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) Chief Lynette Helm had not received a formal request from the organization for a meeting with Weis.

Several youths stressed the need for financial investments in affected communities to reduce violence, and concern about an increase in potential violence in communities where police carry the rifles. 

"We fail to realize that a semi-automatic should not be in the hands of a regular police officer," said Cuitlahuac Heredia.

Board member George M. Velcich said Weis would meet with the organization on December 22.

Tracy Siska, executive director at the Chicago Justice Project, pressed the board to respond to several of his Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Kirby told Siska the FOIA's were still under review because the requested information didn't "fall under FOIA" requirements.

After the meeting Siska said he submitted the FOIAs to determine when the department had decided to purchase the high-powered military rifles. He said, according to his calculations, Weis had been Chicago's Police Superintendent for only 84 days when the announcement came.

"I would really like to know the motivation behind the deployment. Neither Weis or [the] mayor are credible urban policing strategists," said Siska.      

The department has purchased 375 M4s and 300 officers have completed a 40-hour training course, according to November board meeting minutes. Weis said the assault rifle was "more accurate than a hand gun" and "the most appropriate weapon for certain situations," such as when a conflict occurs at a school.

The M4 Carbine is a semi-automatic weapon capable of firing up to 30 bullets a round and has a selective firing option: semi-automatic or a single round.  They are currently being used in Iraq and Afghanistan by the U.S. military. 

The board members did not address any of the youth's concerns about the assault rifles. After the meeting, Velcich said he couldn't see how they "would be addressed by the board."

Siska said he didn't think Weis would actually meet with the youth in the near future and said there is cause for concern for the deployment of the rifles.

"Good cops are already worried about where their bullets end up," he said. "So there's concern where a M4 bullet will end up."