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…
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Last Thursday, Ava Thompson Greenwell's 13-year-old son was handcuffed and detained by police who mistakenly suspected him in a burglary. She talked to Patch Tuesday, explaining why she believes it was racial profiling.
Ava Thompson Greenwell stepped out of her home on Kirk Street last Thursday to see police clamping silver handcuffs around her 13-year-old son Diwani’s wrists. They did not identify themselves to Greenwell or her son, and ignored her repeated requests for an explanation as he stood in her front yard, surrounded by several police officers on the street and in cars. “It was really a surreal experience,” Greenwell told Patch. “My son is a very upstanding Evanston youth. He participates in band at school, after school basketball leagues—I’m thinking to myself, clearly, they’ve made a mistake.” It was indeed a mistake. Evanston police released Greenwell’s son, Diwani, after the victim of a recent burglary arrived and told officers they had …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Evanston police handcuffed a 13-year-old Chute Middle School student, believing him to be the suspect in a burglary. They are now conducting an internal investigation of the officer involved.
Evanston police are conducting an internal investigation of one officer after he handcuffed the 13-year-old son of a Northwestern University professor, mistakenly believing him to be a suspect in a burglary. Diwani Greenwell, a student at Chute Middle School was riding his bike near his home in Evanston last Thursday when police cars began following him, according to WGN-TV. As he got off his bike to walk home, police ran toward him, ordered him to put his hands on his head and then put handcuffs on, Greenwell told WGN-TV. Police told Greenwell that they were searching for a burglar described as “a black male wearing cargo shorts,” according to the Daily Northwestern. When the victim of the burglary told police he was the wrong person, …
Friday, August 10, 2012
In 2011, about 17 percent of people stopped for traffic violations were minorities, according to Glencoe Public Safety Department data.
About 15 percent of the people stopped for traffic violations in the Village of Glencoe have been minorities over the past three years, according to information obtained by Patch. This comes as an Evanston man pursues a claim he was racially profiled in the village. Rev. Dr. Michael James of Evanston requested the information after Glencoe police issued him a ticket for cycling through the Sheridan Road construction zone on June 30. James says the stop was racially motivated and several other white bicyclists went through the area without being stopped. Here is a look at the racial background of the stops on a year-to-year basis, according to documents obtained by Patch through the Freedom of Information Act from the Glencoe Public …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The pastor said he received "inhumane treatment" while biking through a construction zone on Sheridan Road. Local officials, however, say the stop was not racially motivated.
An Evanston pastor met with Glencoe village officials Monday over his claim that a he was ticketed unfairly on the basis of his race. While Glencoe Police Chief Michael Volling does not believe any prejudice occurred, both sides are preparing for another meeting July 25 and the possibility of a lawsuit has not yet been ruled out. Rev. Dr. Michael James of Evanston and George Mitchell, the Evanston NAACP President, met with Glencoe Village President Paul Harlow and Volling for approximately an hour Monday to discuss a June 30 incident near the intersection of Sheridan Road and Hogarth Lane where James was issued a ticket for bicycling in a construction zone. James claims that several other bikers who were white passed by at the same time …
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
After a biker said he was unfairly ticketed by the Glencoe Police Department, Patch readers are discussing the issue of racial profiling. We want to hear from you.
An Evanston man who said he experienced racial profiling while biking through a construction zone in Glencoe, has taken steps to sue the Glencoe Department of Public Safety. The local reverend, who is black, alleges that a Glencoe officer pulled him over on his bicycle and issued him a ticket, while multiple white cyclists entering the no-biking zone were not pulled over. In the comments on our most recent story on the potential lawsuit in Glencoe, readers took both sides. "Sounds to me like the reverend is looking for some attention," said commenter ebuddha. Meanwhile, commenter Melissa disagreed. "Yes, It's true," she said. "He is doing this because he got unwanted attention. Glencoe, Glenview, Skokie police all do that to minorities. …
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 ›