CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (PNN) - November 22, 2011 – A dash cam video shows a Champaign, Illinois pig thug cop pepper spraying and possibly choking a man he had confronted for jaywalking.
Mayor Gerard said he is “gravely disappointed” the police video was posted online, saying it is counteractive to anything the city is trying to achieve in terms of thug cop-community relations. The mayor added that he is ‘very confident’ that State pig thug cops will investigate the June 5 arrest.
Apparently, the best way to preserve thug cop-community relations isn’t to actually prevent pig thug cop abuse, but rather to prevent the community from knowing about it when it happens.
This isn’t the first time Champaign authorities have tried to squelch video of pig thug cop misconduct.
In one high-profile 2004 case, pig thug cops arrested documentary filmmaker Patrick Thompson for recording their interactions with bar and restaurant patrons in Champaign and Urbana. (Thompson was making a movie about tensions between police and African Americans in the town.)
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois submitted an amicus brief on Thompson’s behalf, asking the judge overseeing his case to overturn the law on First Amendment grounds. A new district attorney was elected while Thompson’s charges were still pending, who dropped all charges against Thompson after taking office.
