CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A billboard featuring a Chicago police officer, who was killed in the line of duty, is being replaced after being vandalized this week.
The billboard at Elston and LeClaire features Officer Samuel Jimenez, who was one of three people killed during a shooting at Mercy Hospital in 2018.
On the billboard, underneath the words “Duty, Honor, Sacrifice”, the word “Propaganda” was added in big black marker.
The billboard is part of a citywide campaign by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation to get people to view police in a more positive light. Executive Director Phil Cline said 66 billboards have been placed around the city. He called the vandalism “despicable.”
“He gave his life. He ran in there to save other people and for this guy to write 'Propaganda' up there is just terrible," Cline said.
Cline, a former Chicago police superintendent, said the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation felt that the billboard buy “was a good campaign to get our message out to the people that, cops are, like I said, neighbors, coaches, fathers, brothers, sisters.”
Cline said Clear Channel, who owns the billboard, has promised to replace the billboard display Wednesday.
Alderman Anthony Napolitano condemned the vandalism, as well.
“It is a cowardly act. There’s no other way around it," he said.
”Just shows that whoever wrote that has zero clue and just did it, because it’s part of a disgusting cancel culture mentality and social movement that just disgusts me and, I think, mostly everybody.”
Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern called the billboard defacement, “an absolute disgrace and insult to the memory of Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez, the Jimenez family and every other fallen officer and families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our city.”
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