“Antwon Golatte lifted his shirt to reveal the wide, dark scars of three bullet holes and two surgeries.
“I always said I was innocent,” said Golatte, 35, speaking to reporters for the first time since he was shot by police officers on the south side of Chicago in February 2015.
On Thursday, the city’s independent police review authority (IPRA) ruled that officers were unjustified in shooting Golatte. Their investigation contradicted officers’ contention that they shot him in self-defense, believing that Golatte was trying to run them over with his SUV.
“It was real, real painful … walking is hard for me, I can’t sit or stand for long periods of time, I have permanent nerve damage,” he said.”
“The vindication for Golatte comes after what he described as a long history of police harassment. He said officers sat in their cars for hours outside his home, and searched the building he rented out to tenants.
Two days before the shooting, Golatte’s attorney Danielle Pinkston said, the same officers had searched Golatte’s car without a warrant, while he left it running to warm up before taking a friend to the store.”
“When officers pulled Golatte over on 7 February 2015, during what they described as a narcotics investigation, Golatte said, “I knew that my life was in danger. There wasn’t a shadow of a doubt.”
Golatte is still facing four felony charges of aggravated battery to peace officers and a charge of damage to government property, Pinkston said. She said they are demanding state’s attorney Anita Alvarez drop the charges in light of IPRA’s findings. Alvarez is in her last months on the job, as she lost a Democratic primary amid allegations that she was too lenient on officers accused of misconduct.
Stewart said Golatte has trouble finding a job because employers find news stories describing the officers’ allegations, now debunked by IPRA.”
And they wonder why a war is being brought to their doorstep
They have truly brought this on themselves
There is only so much injustice that can be wrought upon people before they have enough
Deborah Lee Jarrett 