CITY HALL — The head of the City Council's Public Safety Committee said Monday he found it "shocking" that the local police union would endorse Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, while another alderman called it a "suicidal charge" that "fans the flames of division."
"That's shocking that they would even take an interest in making a statement of that nature," said Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th), chairman of the Public Safety Committee.
The National Fraternal Order of Police union endorsed Trump last month, and the Chicago Police branch of the union backed that recently by posting the endorsement on its website.
That riled Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), who said there could be consequences in the City Council, but local union President Dean Angelo Sr. didn't back down, defending the decision.
This week, Reboyras joined the chorus questioning the endorsement, as did Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd).
"I don't think there are consequences, but most apparently I think they're trying to send a message, and I'm trying to figure out what that message is," Reboyras said. "I'm just hoping it's not a message to the City Council, the mayor. I'm hoping that it's just a national decision."
"I found it disappointing," Hopkins said. "At a time we're trying to rebuild trust between police and the community, that doesn't help.
"I understand where a lot of this simmering resentment comes from police officers, I get that, but there's a better way to channel that than what looks like a kind of suicidal charge," Hopkins added. "The FOP, the leaders of that organization, are smart. They're smart enough to know he's not going to win. So this endorsement accomplishes nothing and just further fans the flames of division."
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