Black caucus calls for CPD Supt. Garry McCarthy to be fired

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The City Council's black caucus is calling for the removal of Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy.

"Quite honestly, five years has been long enough," said 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer, black caucus chairman.

The chairman of the black caucus is backed by more than a dozen of his colleagues on the council calling on Mayor Emanuel to dump his hand-picked police chief.

"My constituents get sick and tired of hearing about statistics and no action," said 34th Ward Ald. Carrie Austin.

"We have all supported Garry McCarthy in the past. I think it's just gotten to the point in all of our wards where we're not happy with the results we're seeing," said Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd Ward.

Ald. Pat Dowell's turning point came last week when an 11-month-old child was shot, and his mother and grandmother were killed in her ward. After that shooting, the superintendent showed his frustration.

"We could make a billion gun arrests a year and it's not going to make a difference," McCarthy said on Sept. 29.

But newly-released police stats show McCarthy has a problem: so far this year, murders are up 21 percent compared with the same time last year. Murders have increased 14 percent since McCarthy accepted the top job more than four years ago.

"Every time someone gets shot, every time someone gets killed, we're the ones knocking on the doors. So do you mean when you say we aren't going to own this? We own this every day!" said Ald. Austin.

It's worth noting: the aldermen are calling for McCarthy's job at the same time they're being asked to consider sticking city residents with a brand-new garbage tax and a hefty property tax increase. Could this be cover?

"You can spin this however you want to, but we're fed up and we're looking for change!" said Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th Ward.

Some black caucus members are standing by McCarthy while also giving him an ultimatum.

"I think what's important is we come up with a set of recommendations, demands, changes we want to see in police and we work with the superintendent to get that done," said Ald. Will Burns, 4th Ward.

On Monday night, a community protested violence as their alderman called for accountability in the form of the top cop's job.

A vigil was held at a playground where five people were shot last week in the city's Fuller Park neighborhood. Two of them died, including Zenobia Northern's sister Ayanna.

"I don't blame the police," Northern said. "I blame the community."

Emanuel's aides said the mayor is standing by McCarthy. On Tuesday, McCarthy will go before the council's budget committee and many of the same aldermen calling for his ouster.