RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A HEARING ON THE ENFORCEMENT OF CERTAIN SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 8-4 OF THE CITY CODE
WHEREAS* The City is suffering from an epidemic of violence stemming from gangs, prostitution, and narcotics trafficking,,which has arid continues to plague residents; and
WHEREAS, To help mitigate violence caused by street gangs, the City passed an ordinance in 1992 that provided the Chicago Police Department broad discretion in arresting individuals observed to. be loitering for gang related purposes; this ordinance was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1999 and the City Council has since passed new ordinances aimed at combatting loitering for purposes related to gangs, prostitution, and narcotics trafficking; and
WHEREAS, These new ordinances require the Police Superintendent to designate areas of the City where enforcement of these new ordinances is necessary; such designations require the Police Superintendent to consult with certain persons knowledgeable about the effects of gangs, prostitution, and narcotics trafficking in the area; and
WHEREAS', Only after areas are designated by the Police Superintendent to be areas requiring enforcement of such ordinances, can officers order individuals found to be loitering for purposes related to gangs, prostitution, or narcotics trafficking to disperse or arrest individuals found to be violating such ordinances; and
WHEREAS, Because such ordinances are only enforceable in designated areas of the City, they do not allow officers the flexibility to combat loitering for purposes relatedrtb gangs, prostitution, or narcotics trafficking, outside of these designated areas;: and
WHEREAS, This discrepancy allows individuals loitering for purposes related to gangs, prostitution, or narcotics trafficking to move from such designated areas to areas where enforcement is not permitted, thwarting enforcement of the law; and
WHEREAS, Residents of the City deserve to live peacefully in their homes and neighborhoods and to ensure, residents can do so, the City should continually monitor, re-examine, and strengthen its current enforcement tools,for effectiveness; now, therefore
BEIT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the CityCouncil of Chicago assembled this ninth day of September, 2020, do hereby call upon the Committee on Public Safety to hold a hearing on the Chicago Police Department's enforcement of sections 8-4-015, 8-4-016, and 8-4-017 of the City Code, including the number of dispersal orders issued due to violations of these sections, the number of arrests made for violations of these sections, and how these sections can be strengthened; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call upon Police Superintendent David O. Brown, or his designee, to testify at the hearing.
