Join BPI for Power In Community: Equity, this year’s annual event that celebrates the strides made in our racial and social justice work.



We will hear from Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr. Cook County Public Defender, Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender who will serve as our keynote speaker. During the evening, we will honor Michael Strautmanis, Executive Vice President, Civic Engagement for the Obama Foundation as this year’s Champion of the Public Interest recipient, Adam Gross will be recognized as the 2023 Alumni of the Year.

We are committed to meeting today’s challenges while laying the groundwork for the next exciting steps in our future. This event will be held on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 from 6–9 pm at the Bridgeport Art Center. As we continue to deepen and enhance our relationships within the community, BPI is excited to host this year’s event at a venue that sits at the intersection. Bridgeport Art Center is a wonderfully vibrant urban space located west of 35th Street and Halsted touching and serving Pilsen, Bronzeville, Chinatown, and Bridgeport.


We invite you to join us for what will be a uniquely memorable event that will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and empowered to help us move forward in our mission to achieve social, racial, and economic justice.

Buy your tickets today!


Reimagining Public Safety


In early March, BPI released A New Vehicle for “Stop and Frisk”: the Scope, Impact, and Inequities of Traffic Stops in Chicago. The report analyzes how the Chicago Police Department uses traffic stops and examines its impact on communities in Chicago.

Key findings of the report include: 


  • In recent years, the number of traffic stops in Chicago has greatly increased.  
  • Most of these stops are made for minor traffic violations and do not result in citation, suggesting the stops are pretextual, i.e., made with the purpose of investigating drivers without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, rather than to increase roadway safety.  
  • These stops are not an effective tool for criminal investigation, because only a small percentage result in citation, contraband recovery, or arrest.  

 

This practice of traffic stops disproportionately impacts Black and Latine drivers and communities, who are more likely to be stopped, searched, cited, and subjected to the use of force. In addition to the full-length report, we released an Executive Summary, highlighting these findings. 

In addition to the release of the report, BPI and the Free2Move Coalition co-hosted a two-part webinar series dedicated to understanding the problem with traffic stops and the potential solutions for change. The Free2Move Coalition is an alliance of community and advocacy organizations working to create a more racially equitable system of traffic safety in Chicago by decreasing police enforcement and investing in racially equitable infrastructure. BPI sits on the coalition steering committee, where we contribute legal and policy research as well as project management to support the work of the coalition. 



The first webinar, The Problem with Traffic Stops began with a short presentation by BPI on some of the key findings from the report. To view a recording of both webinars, visit the BPI YouTube page.  

CPD Consent Decree


In February, BPI sent Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Superintendent David Brown a letter urging them to immediately address our concerns regarding the City’s lack of Consent Decree progress. Twenty-five other organizations signed on in support. This letter relied on the latest Independent Monitor report assessing the City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department’s efforts to comply with the federal consent decree calling for police and other public safety reforms. We raised similar concerns in federal court testimony regarding the implementation of the Consent Decree, where BPI testified to long delays in policy development progress, inadequate data collection, and insufficient meaningful community involvement. 


Neither Mayor Lightfoot nor Superintendent Brown responded to our letter, however, a local news broadcast commented on the implication of Chicago’s sluggish police reform efforts on Chicago’s Mayoral race. Given the impending change in Chicago leadership, with a new Mayor and Superintendent taking over soon, we will continue to raise concerns regarding major issues like the need for sufficient resources dedicated to reform, inadequate and under-used community partnerships, the need to evaluate police practices, and antiquated CPD data systems.       

January 28, 2023, New Citizen Board for Chicago Police Oversight Gets Ready for Election (WTTW)


Loren Jones, BPI Staff Counsel for Police Accountability, spoke about the then-upcoming election of the City's first civilian police oversight board, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA).



February 9, 2023, Sluggish Pace of Chicago Police Reform Effort Complicates Public Safety Debate in Mayor’s Race (WTTW)


BPI sent a letter to City of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown urging them to immediately address concerns regarding the City's lack of Consent Decree progress.


February 27, 2023, Chicagoans Vote for Police District Council Candidates for the First Time (CBS)


On the eve of the municipal general election in Chicago, Loren Jones spoke about the election of the District Councils in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts, educating voters on the role of the Councils and the work that would be carried out by the Councilors once elected.


March 10, 2023, Black, Latino Drivers More Likely to be Pulled Over: Report (WTTW)


Representatives from BPI and Free2Move Coalition partner, Equiticity discussed with Phil Ponce BPI's newly released report, A New Vehicle for "Stop and Frisk": the Scope, Impact, and Inequities of Traffic Stops in Chicago.



March 23, 2023, 4 CPD officers stripped of police powers amid an investigation into gun seizures (WGN)


Shareese Pryor, BPI Senior Staff Counsel and Director of Criminal Legal System and Police Accountability, raised concerns about transparency and integrity in recovery of firearms and the impact on police accountability.

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