Mark Tyson
Member
Boy, 9, shot at picnic: Top cop blasts his parents
Copyright 2003 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
Chicago Sun-Times
August 1, 2003 Friday
A high-ranking Chicago police officer lashed out Thursday at the parents of a critically wounded 9-year-old for allowing their son to be out past midnight at a party for a slain gang leader whom he likened to Adolf Hitler.
Chief of Patrol Jim Maurer said he will not allow the news media to saddle the Chicago Police Department with the blame for failing to break up the fight that left 9-year-old Antonio Campbell critically wounded while glorifying slain gang leader Mickey Cogwell.
"He was a savage killer whose birthday is celebrated by a bunch of other savage killers. You make it sound like a community event with a picnic where everybody buys tickets. That's a lot of b.s.," Maurer said.
"The story is the police did everything they possibly could. We put an army over there and harassed those people continuously all day. We made 'em move. We made 'em take down their tents. These gangs don't send out invitations. This isn't like the Moose having a party. These are savages taking over an area to celebrate another savage. Why don't we do that for Adolf Hitler. Let's have a big national day to honor the founder of the Nazi Party."
Cogwell, 31, was a leader of the Black P Stone Nation until he was killed in 1977. His faction, the Cobrastones, was renamed the Mickey Cobras in his honor.
The outspoken Maurer, who is vying to become Chicago's next police superintendent, saved his harshest attack for Antonio's parents.
The 9-year-old was sitting in a car at 1 a.m. Monday when he was shot in the head and critically wounded, the apparent victim of a dispute between Mickey Cobras arguing over drug money. A 7-year-old, also in the car, was hurt when gunshots shattered a car window.
"These are spontaneous gatherings of hoodlums. Why in God's name would you have a 9-year-old out at 1 a.m. in the first place?" Maurer said.
"We can only do so much. We're supposed to be on every dot--every place in the city where somebody's going to act like a moron? That's not possible. What about the parents? Why would you bring kids out that young in a neighborhood where you know there's going to be problems?"
Earlier this week, First Deputy Police Supt. Phil Cline insisted that Sunday's annual gathering was successfully dispersed three times at three locations over a 16-hour period with an appropriate show of force: two to four squad cars.
About 1 a.m. Monday, the Mickey Cobras gathered for a fourth time, at 44th and Shields.
Police responded to a call of shots fired and were pelted with objects.
On Thursday, Maurer said, "You had 88 police officers who responded within 10 or 15 minutes of the incident. We had no problem getting manpower."
A 39-year veteran, Maurer is one of 17 candidates to apply for the $159,288-a-year job of Chicago police superintendent by the original July 23 deadline. The deadline was extended until Aug. 6 because so few candidates applied. In 1998, the Police Board chose three finalists from a list of 45 contenders.
Thursday's outspoken defense of police actions underscores why Maurer is so popular with the rank-and-file. A companion attack on the news media is likely to improve his standing.
"The first 100 homicides [this year], you covered 90 percent of the white people killed and 30 percent of the blacks. That tells me you don't give a ---- or don't want to drive over in that neighborhood. I call it media red-lining," Maurer said.
"You're only covering this one because it's a 9-year-old kid, and you've got a police controversy. I see more coverage of a bunch of girls kicking each other around in the suburbs. But, get somebody to stand up and say, 'Police didn't do their job,' and you're all over it. Go get 'em."
Copyright 2003 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
Chicago Sun-Times
August 1, 2003 Friday
A high-ranking Chicago police officer lashed out Thursday at the parents of a critically wounded 9-year-old for allowing their son to be out past midnight at a party for a slain gang leader whom he likened to Adolf Hitler.
Chief of Patrol Jim Maurer said he will not allow the news media to saddle the Chicago Police Department with the blame for failing to break up the fight that left 9-year-old Antonio Campbell critically wounded while glorifying slain gang leader Mickey Cogwell.
"He was a savage killer whose birthday is celebrated by a bunch of other savage killers. You make it sound like a community event with a picnic where everybody buys tickets. That's a lot of b.s.," Maurer said.
"The story is the police did everything they possibly could. We put an army over there and harassed those people continuously all day. We made 'em move. We made 'em take down their tents. These gangs don't send out invitations. This isn't like the Moose having a party. These are savages taking over an area to celebrate another savage. Why don't we do that for Adolf Hitler. Let's have a big national day to honor the founder of the Nazi Party."
Cogwell, 31, was a leader of the Black P Stone Nation until he was killed in 1977. His faction, the Cobrastones, was renamed the Mickey Cobras in his honor.
The outspoken Maurer, who is vying to become Chicago's next police superintendent, saved his harshest attack for Antonio's parents.
The 9-year-old was sitting in a car at 1 a.m. Monday when he was shot in the head and critically wounded, the apparent victim of a dispute between Mickey Cobras arguing over drug money. A 7-year-old, also in the car, was hurt when gunshots shattered a car window.
"These are spontaneous gatherings of hoodlums. Why in God's name would you have a 9-year-old out at 1 a.m. in the first place?" Maurer said.
"We can only do so much. We're supposed to be on every dot--every place in the city where somebody's going to act like a moron? That's not possible. What about the parents? Why would you bring kids out that young in a neighborhood where you know there's going to be problems?"
Earlier this week, First Deputy Police Supt. Phil Cline insisted that Sunday's annual gathering was successfully dispersed three times at three locations over a 16-hour period with an appropriate show of force: two to four squad cars.
About 1 a.m. Monday, the Mickey Cobras gathered for a fourth time, at 44th and Shields.
Police responded to a call of shots fired and were pelted with objects.
On Thursday, Maurer said, "You had 88 police officers who responded within 10 or 15 minutes of the incident. We had no problem getting manpower."
A 39-year veteran, Maurer is one of 17 candidates to apply for the $159,288-a-year job of Chicago police superintendent by the original July 23 deadline. The deadline was extended until Aug. 6 because so few candidates applied. In 1998, the Police Board chose three finalists from a list of 45 contenders.
Thursday's outspoken defense of police actions underscores why Maurer is so popular with the rank-and-file. A companion attack on the news media is likely to improve his standing.
"The first 100 homicides [this year], you covered 90 percent of the white people killed and 30 percent of the blacks. That tells me you don't give a ---- or don't want to drive over in that neighborhood. I call it media red-lining," Maurer said.
"You're only covering this one because it's a 9-year-old kid, and you've got a police controversy. I see more coverage of a bunch of girls kicking each other around in the suburbs. But, get somebody to stand up and say, 'Police didn't do their job,' and you're all over it. Go get 'em."
