CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago’s top cop said police officers did what was necessary to protect the city on Tuesday night, when they declared a mass arrest following a protest outside the Israeli Consulate.
“Last night was a danger to our city,” said Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling. “As the Chicago Police Department, we did everything we could to de-escalate that situation, but there’s only so much de-escalation that you can attempt before it becomes excessive repetition.”
The intense confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and officers began minutes into the demonstration, after some protesters — many dressed in black, their faces covered — charged at a line of police who had blocked their march.
Snelling said Chicago police respect the rights of demonstrators but added that the protest went too far.
“We declared a mass arrest after our officers were physically confronted and attacked,” he said. “We were not the initiators of violence, but we responded to it, and our officers responded exactly the way that they were trained to respond.”
Snelling said that between 55 and 60 people were arrested. Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, one for knee pain and one with a finger injury. Two officers were injured, but they refused medical attention because they did not want to leave fellow officers. He said three journalists were among those arrested, but he did not have details on charges.
Police tried to avoid the clash, Snelling said, but told reporters that “CPD is not going to run away.”
“We are not going to stand by and let our officers be attacked, because an officer who cannot protect himself, herself, themselves, cannot protect this city,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
The superintendent also spoke about what he described as the risks that police officers were dealing with.
“I just need to say this for our officers, especially for our female officers,” Snelling said. “The vicious, nasty, sexually explicit things that were said to those women [were] absolutely disgusting … but let me tell you the pride that I have in those women who dealt with that, took it [and] did not lose their cool.”
WBBM Newsradio has reached out to the organizers of Tuesday night’s protest for comment on the superintendent’s remarks. Those requests have not yet been answered.
Snelling seemed to also make the case for a different path for Chicago, long after the convention ends.
“It’s time to get a handle on anyone who wants to wreak havoc on this city,” he said. “People who are committing violent acts throughout the city. It is time to bring Chicago back to where we know it can be, but that’s going to take all of us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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