West Side aldermen join call to oust police chief


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The Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus wants the mayor to fire Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

That group includes the four aldermen who represent Austin: Michael Scott (24th), Jason Ervin (28th), Chris Taliaferro (29th) and Emma Mitts (37th).

McCarthy’s “leadership has failed our communities, and it’s time for a substantial change,” South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th), chairman of the Black Caucus, said Monday at a City Hall press conference.

“We have been troubled by the superintendent’s lack of responsiveness to our concerns and requests as we face this crisis,” Sawyer said.

McCarthy appeared before the council Tuesday as part of budget hearings being held before aldermen approve the city’s 2016 spending plan.

It was a tough crowd, even among aldermen who’ve been loyal to Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“Your policies are failing my ward,” Mitts was quoted as saying by Chicago Tonight.

The mayor defended his police chief, who’s served as the city’s top cop since Emanuel was first elected in 2011.

“I’m standing by him,” Emanuel told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Chicago Tribune also reported the mayor rejecting the call to fire his police chief.

Here’s the blow-by-blow account from DNAinfo of yesterday’s budget hearings at which McCarthy faces a lot of questions.

And here’s how yesterday’s proceedings were reported by the Chicago Reporter.

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