Source: Tom Williams / Getty
Anjanette Young — the Chicagoan who was subjected to a botched 2019 police raid when she was handcuffed while naked — recently said in a press conference that she’s still seeking justice against the city and its mayor, Lori Lightfoot.
“I absolutely feel betrayed by the mayor,” Young said to media outlets on June 16. “The city’s legal department and the mayor continue to be reckless in the way that they handled this case.”
The case itself gained nationwide attention at the tail end of 2020. Despite being innocent, on February 21, 2019, nine officers of the Chicago Police Department stormed Young’s apartment and broke down her door with a battering ram in the search of guns that weren’t there. At the time of the incident, Young had been changing out of her work clothes. While she was still undressed, officers handcuffed her so they could scope out her apartment.
“It was so traumatic to hear the thing that was hitting the door. And it happened so fast, I didn’t have time to put clothes on,” Young had said in an interview with CBS 2 this past December. “It’s one of those moments where I felt I could have died that night. Like if I would have made one wrong move, it felt like they would have shot me. I truly believe they would have shot me.”
In the recent press conference held by Young and her attorneys, they claimed that the city of Chicago responded to her “initial settlement demand” with a counteroffer of $0, according to Blavity News.
“The biggest number they came up with was less than half of the largest settlement [the city] paid out for a very similar case,” pointed out Keenan Saulter, one of Young’s attorneys.
Additionall, the city of Chicago is taking Young and her lawyers to court.
“It’s been a very challenging time for me,” Young shared. “I am often in tears about a lot of things. Very disappointed and disgusted with the mayor.”
Young continued, “I stand here, approximately 846 days of living the trauma that was caused to me.”
When Mayor Lightfoot and Young met in person six months after the raid, the public official apologized on behalf of the city and its police department.
“I want to tell Ms. Young [that] I am deeply sorry and troubled that her home was invaded, and that she had to face the humiliation and trauma that she suffered. That is just not right,” Lightfoot had said at that time. “It simply should not have happened. And I will make sure that there is full accountability for what took place.”
It was also reported that “emails later surfaced showing that Lightfoot was made aware of the botched raid prior to the release of body camera footage and attempted to halt the release of the video.”
ABC 7 Chicago shared that Young now wants the city’s aldermen to pass an ordinance in her name that would put restrictions on police raids. As per the outlet, Alderman Chris Taliaferro has made it known that doesn’t believe changing the city’s policing procedures would be the best way to proceed.
We’ll keep you up to speed as this ongoing case is updated.
