Honorary Resolution for Lieutenant John Garrido
WHEREAS, It is with great pride and excitement that the members of this Chamber learn of the accomplishments of Lieutenant John Garrido, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's Officer of the Month for March, 2018; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed body has been notified of his achievements by the Honorable Margaret Laurino, Alderman of the 39th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Garrido is a twenty-seven-year member of the Chicago Police Department and has improved his community, both globally and individually; and
WHEREAS, He believes that, "Being a police officer, it's in our DNA to help. That's what we do." This strong moral foundation drove Lieutenant Garrido to help Anthony Johnson, a sixty-year-old Air Force veteran, to defeat homelessness; and
WHEREAS, After meeting Anthony at his newspaper stand at the intersection of Foster, Milwaukee and Central, Lieutenant Garrido decided to bring the community together to improve the newspaper stand and eventually increase Anthony's income; and
WHEREAS, What started as a small project turned into an outpouring of public support. Lieutenant Garrido's GoFundMe page raised $7,500 to put Anthony in a home for a year and drove community members to donate their time and materials as well. The result was one less homeless veteran and a beautiful newsstand, complete with murals commemorating Anthony Johnson; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Garrido's kindness and passion for community improvement are what inspired the community to give back to Anthony Johnson, a man who has done so much for the United States; and
WHEREAS, In addition to alleviating veteran homelessness, Lieutenant Garrido founded the Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation, an organization intended to return lost animals to their homes or find new homes for abused and abandoned pets; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Garrido also supports the police and fire community by advocating for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. He produces Battle of the Bands, a competition that features First Responders and all the proceeds go to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and Chicago Fire Department charities; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Garrido is an exemplary model of the Chicago Police Officer's Oath to "serve and protect." The City of Chicago is blessed to have such an incredible member of the forces at the forefront of community improvement; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this twenty-eighth day of March, 2018, do hereby express our sincerest