Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Parents Dale Greenwell and Ava Thompson Greenwell have sued an Evanston police officer, alleging that he mistreated their 13-year-old son during his investigation of a burglary.
While two Evanston parents say a local police officer racially profiled and mistreated their son during his investigation of a burglary, the Evanston Police Department recently cleared the officer of wrongdoing in an internal review. Ava Thompson Greenwell, whose 13-year-old son, Diwani, was handcuffed as a suspect in a burglary this summer, said she was “disappointed but not surprised” by the department’s conclusion, which was announced at a human services committee meeting Monday night. “Internal affairs department have a hard time when it comes to policing themselves,” Thompson Greenwell said in a prepared statement to press after the meeting. “But just because the report said misconduct did not happen, does not mean that misconduct did…
Monday, September 24, 2012
Ava Thompson Greenwell filed the suit Sunday claiming the officer and city assaulted and wrongly imprisoned her 13-year-old son, who is black, while looking for a black burglary suspect in their predominantly white neighborhood.
The mother of a black 13-year-old boy who was handcuffed in his front yard by an Evanston police officer who was looking for a black burglary subject is suing both the officer and the city for assault and false imprisonment, among other counts. Diwani Greenwell was riding his bike to his Kirk Street home when he was detained by police who were searching for a suspect in a burglary that had just taken place nearby. This happened, “although the police radio dispatch transmissions show that (he) did not fit the description of the black male sought; especially that [he] by his appearance is noticeably a child,” the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, says. Related: Black parents say police misconduct common for their children The lawsuit …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
One Evanston parent says her son was racially profiled when he was handcuffed as a suspect in a burglary. She and others told the city council they want to see major changes in the police department.
After her 13-year-old son was wrongly arrested as a suspect in a burglary, Evanston parent Ava Thompson Greenwell is demanding a formal, written apology and a commitment to major change in the police department. “It’s time to have a serious discussion about racial profiling in our city,” Greenwell told the council on Monday. “But just talking about it is not enough. We must act.” Police stopped Diwani Greenwell, an honor student at Chute Middle School, in his front yard on Thursday, Aug. 30. Officers were searching for a “a male black juvenile with a dark shirt and khaki cargo shorts;” Diwani, who is African-American, was wearing a light-colored shirt and navy blue cargo shorts that day. Police handcuffed him and detained him until the …
Friday, September 7, 2012
After one 13-year-old honor student at Chute was handcuffed by police who believed he was a burglary suspect, his parents and others say police mistreatment of African American kids is widespread in Evanston.
Speaking before Evanston’s human services committee on Wednesday, Dale Greenwell told local officials he had just experienced “a black parent’s worst nightmare.” His 13-year-old son, Diwani, was handcuffed last week in his front yard on Kirk Street by Evanston police officers who believed him to be a suspect in a burglary. Dale Greenwell’s wife, Ava Thompson Greenwell, was at home when it happened and witnessed the incident. She told the committee that officers did not identify themselves or ask Diwani how old he was. They also ignored her repeated questions as she watched police clamp a pair of handcuffs on her son, Greenwell said. Related: Police Release 9-11 Call With Wrong Burglary Suspect, 13 She has since filed a complaint with the …
Last Thursday, a 13-year-old boy was handcuffed by police officers who believed him to be a suspect in a burglary. His parents say the arrest was mishandled and is an example of racial profiling.
Evanston police have released the 9-11 recording from a burglary that took place in the 1600 block of Seward Street last Thurday. Following the burglary, police handcuffed a 13-year-old student at Chute Middle School, believing him to be a suspect. Police drove the victim of the burglary to his location, where she told officers he was not the person she saw in her house. His mother, Ava Thompson Greenwell, who witnessed the incident, has since filed a complaint with the police department, alleging that they used excessive force in handcuffing her son, ignored her questions and failed to obtain a detailed description of the suspect. Patch initially requested the audio from the 9-11 call on Wednesday, Sept. 5. A spokesperson for the police…
Dan Cox
7:29 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012
K Robinson You fail to understand, so you lash out... how typical. Name calling and angryness, simply a silly reaction to what you are not able to comprehend. Let me break it down for you... The Police get a description, the guy fits the description, they take him in for questioning. That is what Police do, that is how you find out if you have the right guy. Rude, no! Factual and correct yes. more ›