Five years ago, my name made national headlines for the violence I was subjected to by the Chicago Police Department. In an unvetted raid on my home, I was inhumanely stripped of my dignity and publicly defiled at the hands of those tasked with protecting civilian life.
On this anniversary, I have a clear message for the City Council and Mayor Brandon Johnson: In cases of police violence, money will never deliver real justice for our stories.
Almost two years after the raid on my home, the city of Chicago approved a $2.9 million settlement, intended to “make me whole” and “resolve” the trauma of Feb. 21, 2019. This financial due diligence by the city is necessary in every case of police violence and misconduct, but it provides no consequence to the hands that violated my peace. I have never asked for a dime from the city — rather, for appropriate repercussions for those who compromise public safety.
In my case, officers responsible for leading the raid have been justly removed from the force; albeit, it took years to get these dangerous officers off the streets. Unfortunately, my story is not an isolated incident, and there are Chicagoans whose lives have been derailed by the violent culture of Chicago policing, who deserve to be seen and whose stories deserve justice.
In my case, financial compensation was less than the bare minimum, and honestly, it was more insulting than anything that the city felt like it could buy my complacency. We have to intentionally shift the culture of policing that allows for this kind of serious misconduct to occur in the first place. Accountability is more than settlements; it is systemic shifts that ensure there is a reduction — if not an elimination — of these kinds of interactions.
While grappling with my own healing over the past several years, I have watched my city continue to encourage cycles of trauma. Specifically, Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police has been one of the most persistent obstructions to progress. It has fought the City Council to move cases alleging serious police misconduct behind closed doors, cases that could very well have been my own. Chicago police have proved to be dangerous, to include officers who are affiliated with white supremacist groups and to be often guilty of compromising public safety. Our city needs powerful and public systems that hold police accountable for their actions, now more than ever. If the officers responsible for the violence placed on my shoulders had not faced consequences, I would never be afforded peace.
Over the past five years, I have had to deal with feelings of lack of safety and fear. Instead of sitting in silence and seeing new names make headlines, I chose to act. I am more than the trauma imposed on me; I am an accomplished social worker, educator and activist. And I have made it my personal mission to challenge the spaces of power that encourage the repeat of cases like my own. I have led efforts to end dangerous and dehumanizing raids in Chicago and have pushed legislation such as the Anjanette Young Ordinance into the hands of decision-makers. This ordinance has the power to address the pattern of violent raids targeting Black families in Chicago; it includes 10 key demands that would effectively prevent the repetition of stories like mine.
The city of Chicago has the power to change cycles of trauma and to make permanent protections of Chicagoans’ dignity and safety. With every passing year, I will continue to press for corrections to our criminal legal system, those that go beyond financial reparations — corrections that will prevent another Chicagoan from living through police violence and its ramifications.
Anjanette Young is a Chicagoan, social worker, educator and activist.
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