A Fallen Chicago Officer and the Wheels of Justice
I was saddened to hear of the death of Officer Ella French, only 29-years-old with less than four years on the force. I was also saddened to hear that her partner was also wounded and fighting for his life a mere mile and a half from where I type this.
I was also saddened to hear where the shooting took place. I’ve had the fortune to spend many a day working, and meeting and interacting with, the families of West Englewood. I have a big soft spot in my heart for Englewood, although I am not originally from there.
I am always saddened when young folks meet tragic ends in the streets of Chicago.
I want you the reader to read that last sentence again and breathe it in.
I am always saddened when young folks meet tragic ends in the streets of Chicago.
Whether that young person is wearing a badge, a McDonald’s hat, or is fresh out of juvenile corrections…too many young folks meet early deaths in this city. I was saddened when I heard of the death of King Von, local Chicago rapper who was shot and killed in Vegas a mere month after his debut album dropped. Little known fact; I found out about King Von’s death shortly after hearing of his existence, a new young breakout rap start the next neighborhood over from where I live. I was actually doing research to craft a letter to send to his management company inviting him to be on my podcast. I thought maybe, just maybe before he exploded, I could get an hour of his time. Go figure.
In any case, in my eyes, a persons occupation does not make their life more important, or more valuable. I want to make that point very clear before we proceed so you can understand exactly where I am coming from.
Now, I’ve been involved in violence prevention work for a few years now, with 3 of those years specifically focused on gun violence prevention. In those years, one of the greatest desires of activists has been for the Chicago Police Department, in conjunction with the Illinois State Police, to put the bite on the river of guns flowing from Indiana to Chicago. Most of those guns get from Indiana to Chicago in the form of straw purchasing.
Don’t know what straw purchasing is??
A straw purchaser is someone who purchases a gun for someone else, typically for someone who cannot pass a background check such as a convicted felon or a juvenile. It is illegal under federal law to make false statements on gun purchase forms—including lying about who the true buyer is.
Often what happens is that straw purchaser goes on over to Indiana, where they have really weak gun laws, and purchase a firearm or two. Then they drive on back to Chicago and sell those firearms. Wash. Repeat. Here is an overview of Indiana’s gun laws courtesy of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Also, in case you’re worried about bias, here is a news article from the Evansville Courier & Press that describes Indiana gun laws as “relatively relaxed compared to most of the country.”
Now in the past, it never felt that stemming the flow of straw purchased guns were a priority of CPD or ISP. I have in fact met parents who were able to identify that the gun that killed their loved one was straw purchased, sometimes even being able to identify the purchaser, only to be told by the authorities that there wasn’t anything they could do.
So, I was really saddened when in less than 48 hours, the gun that shot and killed Officer Ella French was traced back to a store in Indiana, and the purchaser identified and indicted.
What this said to me was that when the authorities are motivated, they can actually identify where these guns come from, and bring the people who are supplying guns to our streets to justice. So, the only conclusion I can logically draw is that in the countless other cases, they’re simply not motivated, or perhaps more honestly, just don’t give a shit. Maybe?
For the past week, we’ve been talking about a city reeling from the murder of one officer with a second being put in the hospital in critical condition, but we have to keep in mind that Officer Ella French was one of 10 murders that weekend, and one of 73 injured in any case in shootings.
Where is the justice for the other 9? Are we working as hard to bring those culpable in their murder to justice?
To quote Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin,
“The news that Officer French was killed and her partner wounded by a straw-purchased Indiana handgun is infuriating,” he said in a statement. “I have been pushing for stronger penalties against these straw purchases for years. The gun dealers who make their profits from these deadly transactions have fought our efforts, while their political fans mock Chicago’s efforts to monitor gun sales.”
Durbin went on to say that he will write to Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging the Department of Justice to “commit to a coordinated investigation” and prosecution effort against straw-purchases in the wake of the shooting.
Maybe we will take straw purchasing more seriously now? What do you think? Let me know down in the comments.
Photo by Michael Förtsch on Unsplash
