MAY 18, 2018
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
VOL. 129, ISSUE 49
Jury Sides With Cop “Scapegoated” by UCPD University owes $150k to an ex-UCPD commander who was fired after a 2013 incident when one of his officers infiltrated a trauma protest. BY LEE HARRIS NEWS EDITOR
A jury has sided with a former University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) commander, Milton Owens, who filed suit in 2015, alleging he was wrongly fired. The University is now contesting the jury’s decision. Owens claims he was made a “scapegoat” by the University following a high-profile incident in February 2013 when a plainclothes officer under his command disguised herself as a protester to get intel on the activists who were pushing for a trauma center. Detective Janelle Marcellis, who is still employed by the UCPD, carried a protest sign and marched alongside activists. Owens, as commander, was found responsible for UCPD’s conduct; Marcellis was let off with a warning for exercising “poor judgment.” She was instructed to be in plain clothes, but she
took it upon herself to carry a sign and wear a sticker. Shortly after the UCPD infiltrated the protest, a source provided photos of Marcellis to The Maroon, including incriminating pictures of her cell phone that showed texts to Owens: “In crowd w[ith] sign. All is well,” one read. After The Maroon published an article detailing Marcellis’s actions, President Robert Zimmer issued a statement condemning the infiltration of the protest. The University hired a law firm, Schiff Hardin, to review the events. Meanwhile, UCPD launched its own investigation, led by department official Eric Heath, who is now the University’s Associate Vice President for Safety & Security. Owens was dismissed from his job in March 2013 under a rule forbidding any action that “brings discredit upon the department.” Owens sued the University alContinued on page 3
Anonymous
UCPD officer Janelle Marcellis holds a sign and wears tape over her mouth at a trauma center protest in 2013. She infiltrated the protest to “gather intelligence.”
Plan Commission Approves Obama Center Proposal BY ELAINE CHEN LOCAL POLITICS EDITOR
A man protests for a community benefits agreement (left), and a supporter of the presidential center raises a sign (right).
The Chicago Plan Commission voted unanimously for six proposals important to the construction of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) on Thursday afternoon. The vote came after hours of testimony from both supporters and opponents of the proposals, many of whom had been demonstrating outside City Hall since 5 a.m. The proposals centered around modifying boundaries of the Center and in particular closing Cornell Drive, a busy six-lane highway that runs through Jackson Park, where the OPC will be located. While this vote was a major victory for the Obama Foundation, the non-profit organization that
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Alexandra Nisenoff
oversees the creation of the OPC, there remains a long process before the OPC can break ground. The plans will be presented to the city’s Zoning Committee next week, and then to City Council, which will vote on approving a formal long-term lease of city land to the Obama Foundation. The project is also still undergoing federal review to determine whether the Foundation is taking legitimate efforts to minimize harmful effects to the surrounding parkland, as Jackson Park is included on the National Register of Historic Places. A group of public park activists opposed to the presidential center filed a federal lawsuit Monday trying to block the development. “We are heartened by the outpouring of enthusiasm and support for the OPC,” said David Simas,
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CEO of the Obama Foundation. “We look forward to continuing to work with our neighbors, the City Council and the Chicago community more broadly to make the vision and mission of the OPC into reality.” Hours before the meeting started, both supporters and opponents of the proposals gathered outside City Hall, where they passionately chanted in favor of their respective sides. The Obama Foundation gave its supporters T-shirts with the Foundation’s logo and pins that read “OPC” and “I was there.” Many of the opponents of the proposal gathered outside City Hall were members of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) Coalition, a group of community organizations that have been callContinued on page 2
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