CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO ) — A few dozen Chicago police officers and their supporters showed up outside police headquarters Tuesday to protest the city’s COVID-19 vaccine status reporting mandate.
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said officers were threatened with discipline if they showed up for the rally at 35th Street and Michigan Avenue.
Catanzara said he had thought hundreds of police would show up, daring the city to put them all on unpaid status for not reporting whether they’re vaccinated or not. The numbers were not overwhelming.
“I applaud everybody that still showed up, even though they’re threatening more discipline. This just needs to stop,” he said.
Catanzara said the city needs to return to the bargaining table with the union to work out a solution and he believes the solution is daily COVID-19 testing.
“It’s the simplest solution that really would stop-the-spread, if that’s what they really wanted to do. It’s never been about that, though. It’s always been about control. So, the ball is in their court. I’m calling BS right to your face, Miss Mayor. Rapid testing every day. You decide,” he said.
Grace Giampa was among those at the rally. She was holding an American flag in one hand and wearing around her neck a plastic envelope with her husband’s picture. Her husband, Timothy Felmon, is one of 23 officers put on non-pay status for not revealing whether he’s vaccinated, she said, and he has about two years to go before being eligible to retire.
“He has taken one for the team. He is on a non-pay status and we don’t care. We’re going to figure this out,” Giampa said.
Giampa went on to say she and her husband take their stance on the vaccine issue very seriously.
“We feel very passionately about this. We feel passionately about freedom. It’s not the city’s business to go into people’s health status. It’s wrong,” she said, adding, “It’s about freedom. This country is going towards communism and it’s got to stop.”
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