The Chicago City Council is expected to pass a $2.9 million settlement for Anjanette Young, a social worker who was forced to go nude when police mistakenly entered her home with a drawn pistol.
Wednesday’s vote could end a two-year legal battle between Young and the city.
“I’m comfortable with it but it’s important to my understanding that Miss Young and her counselor are comfortable with that too,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said of the agreement on Tuesday, after when the city’s Finance Committee approves the amount.
“We’ve all seen that horrifying video. We’ve all seen the way she was treated. … It’s good that this issue has been resolved,” Lightfoot said in a separate interview. statement in Monday.
Police used an assault to break down the front door of Young’s apartment on February 21, 2019. The social worker had just come home from work and was undressing when a dozen male officers entered and started the process. shouted a flurry of bewildered commands and instructions.
They are looking for a man who is believed to have been seen by police brandishing illegal weapons and ammunition at the address. That was all the evidence that Officer Alain Aporongao used to get the search warrant.
But when Young repeatedly cried out between sobs, standing completely naked in the living room, they had the wrong house.
ONE Report from the Police Civil Liability Office discovered that Aporongao, who signed an affidavit in support of the subpoena, “conducted a flawed investigation into the veracity of the information he received from” the unnamed informant. . Apparently, he never verified that the target of the raid actually lived at the address. It turns out that the girlfriend of the man in question lives next to Young but he is on the street.
“Additionally,” the report continued, “the offending officers at the scene violated the typing guidelines and the current notice disenfranchising Ms. [Young] chance to dress herself before they burst into her house. Officers Aporongao and Sgt. Wolinski continued not to present the Warrant to Ms. [Young] promptly and failed to take reasonable action to protect her dignity. ”
It also recommended various disciplinary measures against many of the officers involved.
The failed raid, captured by nine body-worn cameras, showed a frightened woman begging for an explanation for about 20 minutes before officers issued a feeble apology.
About 16 seconds after the raid, an officer tries to give Young some small sliver of modesty, clad in a short black coat over his shoulders. But that still left her entire front part exposed to the men swarming her apartment.
“What is happening?” Children can be heard screaming in the video.
“There’s no one else here, I live alone. I mean, what’s going on here? You’ve got the wrong house. I live alone,” she exclaimed.
About two minutes passed when another officer grabbed a blanket and wrapped it loosely around Young. She kept asking for answers. The blanket was quickly pulled off to reveal her breasts and lower body.
Time and again, Young begged the officers to let her dress. She explained that they had been given bad information. She lives alone.
“You picked the wrong house, the wrong house, the wrong house,” Young repeated more than 40 times.
At one point, several officers appeared to realize that something was wrong. The two entered a team car to retrieve the notes related to the command.
Flipping through the pages of the document, an officer can be heard saying, “It wasn’t approved at first or some crap.”
“What does it mean?” asked the second officer.
“I don’t know,” replied the first officer. “I mean, they told him it was approved, then I guess that person messed up on their part.”
Young was finally allowed to get dressed when a female officer arrived after the police first arrived, escorting her into Young’s bedroom. About 10 minutes have passed since the start of the challenge.
About 20 minutes after they stormed in, the officers removed Young’s handcuffs after realizing the mistake.
“I’m really sorry to bother you tonight,” one officer suggested. “I promise the city will contact you tomorrow.”
It’s been nearly three years since then, and the city has taken various steps to thwart Young’s legal pursuit of damages, including requesting punitive measures against Young for his actions. Share a video of the wrongful search.
Several city council members have stated that they believe Young deserves a larger payout for the injuries she suffered at the hands of law enforcement.
As a result of investigations because of the incident, the Chicago Police Department revised its policies regarding raids. It now requires a lieutenant of rank or higher to be on the scene when the order is taken. In addition, every officer present must wear a body camera and at least one female officer must be present at all times.
