[Peace-discuss] Chesley crime?

[Bob Illyes]

It is easy, Shirley, to think that the Brian Chesley case makes sense, if 
each step of the process is inspected without looking at the whole. But we 
must always ask if the full means used are in proportion to the seriousness 
of the offense.

Brian was lawfully leaving scheduled park district basketball. Officer 
Davis, for reasons that have never been adequately explained, decided that 
Brian, out of all of the kids in the park at that time, should be included 
in a police database of the area, and called for reinforcements when Brian 
declined.

For this minor infraction, Brian was roughed up, arrested, charged and 
tried. This is absolutely out of proportion to the "crime".

I don't see a plan here. What I do see is that Chief Finney needs to 
tighten up procedures so that this sort of over-reaction is made a lot less 
likely than it is.

Bob