Can Anita Alvarez Keep Her Promise?
When Anita Alvarez ran for Cook County State’s Attorney, her campaign slogan was “Protecting All of Us.”
Taxi driver Karl Clermont alleged that an off-duty Chicago police officer pointed a gun at him to get out of paying a fare.
That was six months ago.
Why hasn’t Karl been told anything yet?
Six months ago Chicago taxi driver Karl Clermont alleged that a drunk, off-duty Chicago police officer pulled a gun on him. When Karl tried to file a police report about the incident he said he was given a hard time by police sergeants and sent on his way with an apparent bogus report number. Karl reported the incident with the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) who then sent the case to the Cook County State's Attorney's office. Both IPRA and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office are still saying that the incident is “under investigation” and that it's being “taken seriously.”
It's time Chicago taxi drivers got some answers.
When Anita Alvarez ran for Cook County State's Attorney she ran a television commercial which showed her wrapping a scarf around a kid who was all bundled up for the cold weather. The man doing the voiceover said, “Chief Deputy State's Attorney Anita Alvarez can be a little overprotective.”
Then Alvarez herself says, “When I headed the public integrity unit I prosecuted corruption and police who abused their badges.”
OK Anita. So what have you done in Karl's case? So far all your office has to say is that it's “under investigation.”
Anita, why won't you tell us the officer's name?
Anita, why won't you give us the reassurance of letting us know if the officer has at least been suspended pending your investigation? Is he still on the streets, armed?
Don't we deserve to know even that, after six months?
In your television commercial you said, “So as your next State's Attorney, forgive me if I'm a little overprotective.” OK, I can forgive you for that. But I can't forgive you for not having any answers for us after six months.
Anita, taxi drivers are more likely to be murdered on the job than any other profession. Police officers are a distant second. That's according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What protections do we have when we're out on the road and a stranger throws up a hand and we have to pick that person up, no matter what, and take that person where he says, no matter what?
Our only protection is the police. But if a police officer is accused of assaulting us, who is supposed to protect us then? You are.
Can you imagine the helpless feeling of believing one of the people whom we pay to serve and protect us may be robbing us himself? Can you imagine the even more helpless feeling of having no concrete reason to believe that our State's Attorney is doing anything about it? Can you imagine Karl’s anguish over the past six months? He doesn’t drive the same cab anymore because he’s afraid of being spotted - afraid of the very people who are supposed to serve and protect him. He needs your help.
Karl Clermont and the other 12,000 Chicago taxi drivers need to have the confidence that you're looking out for them. You made a promise to protect Karl. Keep it.
Your campaign slogan was, “Protecting All of Us.”
Prove it.
- George Lutfallah, Publisher of the Chicago Dispatcher
George,
Are you still publishing? Where do you distribute? Why haven't you posted for the last few months? Did the camera in Clermont's cab catch a photo of the off duty cop? What happened to YOUR petition for a fare increase? Sure you had many signatures, but it was George and Ted that spearheaded the effort. Most of the drivers that signed were told to sign by Ted and were only given a two second explanation of why it was a good idea. Where is your report of the outcome? We are at least owed an update.
Now for some real news: Todays 'trib has an article on the first page of the business section about the "McPier" authority. They are in the red. McPier's leaders have squandered all of our hard earned money. Count on a raise in the amount of a airport tax stamp and also for a raise of the ground tax paid by medallion owners. Medallion owners are in turn allowed to recoup this tax by charging US! I WOULD SUSPECT THIS WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. COUNT ON A $3.00 TAX STAMP AND A ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF A DOLLAR OR TWO PER SHIFT.
Now some questions for all: Isn't this the same fund Daley told us would cover the costs of putting the Olympic games in place in Chicago? Didn't he vow to turn a profit on the games and repay the fund? Weren't we told there was a large surplus in the McPIER (Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority) coffers? WHY DOES MCPIER NOW CLAIM TO BE BROKE?
THIS IS THE KIND OF STORY YOU SHOULD BE COVERING GEORGE. NO OFFENSE, BUT THIS IS REAL TAXI NEWS, UNLIKE THE 2007? COVER STORY ABOUT SOME GUY THAT LIVES IN LYONS, IL. HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE VILLAGE ABOUT PARKING HIS CAB. THIS CHARGE IS FOR 100 PERCENT OF TAXI DRIVERS NOT .001 PERCENT OF CHICAGO DRIVERS.
I challenge you to investigate. There is enough material for someone that really wants to expose the abuses we face. Unfortunately the only one exposing himself is an activist for a group other than The Dispatcher. If he only had a decent look.......
All, politicians are crooks and liars. You can add City Hall and Anita Alvarez name to that list as well. She doesn't care about helping anyone in Illinois. She just cared about dumb people voting for her and giving her to power to do what she wants to do. She doesn't care about no one in Illinois. Except herself and about her crooked politicians friends. It sounds like the meaning of investigation to them crooks and that liar Alvarez means she doesn't care and is sticking up for that crooked cop. Who wanted to kill this honest and hard working cabdriver who was just doing his job by helping a drunk person get home safe. Then, gets almost killed by that drunk off duty Chicago police cop. There is no justice left in this world my friend.
This commercial is a joke~! Thank you for posting it!!!
We should stop acting stupid by saying about behind her back and instead go to her office and protest her unfair treatment of cabbies.
only than we will see results.
why you are all stupid?
Why should a waste day of work? When she should know how to do her job right and help the people of Illinois
cab drivers unorganized, uninformed and don't know how to get things done.
Anita can't read cab driver's mind, so therefore the only way to make her feel the anger of cab drivers is go to her office with groups with banners and protest for few hours.
only than she will know what we want!
pls wise up!!!!!!!!!!!!
Karl complained to the state and city about his problem with that off duty cop. Why hasn't she read the paperwork and done nothing about it?
Us Cabbies should take over the whole City. Get rid of limos, CTA, and let no one drive there private car in downtown Chicago or on the northside no more. That would be dream for us cabbies.
The so called meeting is a complete failure, only a show and not a single important issue was discussed by Alverez or the cabbies who were present at the meeting.
You guys ignored about the huge numbers of cabs in city and increasing more and more that there is always cabbies doing road rage, cutting off others and even fight to get the first 5$ fares. there are 20 cabs in the city for 1 passenger.
So No1 issue was what to do to reduce the number of cabs that you guys ignored at the meeting.
You also ignored about this credit card rip off fee and cards declining %60 of the time and we losing the entire fare money.
You ignored about the idea of putting an end to chauffers class at harold washington, they are producing too many untrained, unprofessional, dirty smelly cabbies on road who are giving bad names to professional cabbies like me and many others.
I wish I could come and wake you fellow cabbies up but I had to go out of the country.
I don't understand why you cabbies don't understand those most important issues ! U think and talked about nonsense thing like cab stands and mroe cab stands.
next time, 1, complain about too many cabs which means continue to live on $40 a day working 12 hours
and 2nd, tell her its not that u hate cards, u hate about he rip off fee and cards getting declines at company casheirs most of the time and u want the money of cards go directly to your bank account instead of having to go to cab companies.
