CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- Imagine finding out someone came to your apartment building after hours and asked to see your lease.
That's what a member of Chicago's civilian police oversight board said a retired police officer did at her building, as part of what she claimed is an effort to get her off the board. But the person who admitted to that late-night visit has disputed some parts of her story.
Abierre Minor is on Chicago's Community Commission For Public Safety and Accountability. She said she felt "shock, disgust, outrage (and surprise)" after discovering that Far South side police district council member Lee Bielecki, a retired CPD officer, showed up unannounced at her building around 10:00 pm on February 17.
"He went up to the security desk, asked about my unit, asked for me by name and asked to see my lease," Minor told reporters outside Chicago City Hall Thursday morning. "It's ten o'clock at night. Who's tryin' to come see about me?"
Minor said Bielecki, who was on the committee to make recommendations for commissioners to be appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, was trying to prove she was lying about where she lived, and it followed what she claimed was an attempt by the city's police officers union to block her re-nomination to the board.
"That's not democracy - that's a failure," she said as supporters cheered behind her. "I will not allow intimidation from anyone - from anyone! - to override the democratic process."
In an interview, Bielecki told WBBM Newsradio he did visit Minor's apartment complex in an attempt to verify her address, saying she did not provide it on documents submitted to the nominating committee, but never asked to see her lease, and sent Minor an apology the next day. Shortly after that, he stepped down from the nominating committee, but he insisted it was his decision.
Bielecki also has been censured by the Commission.
Minor is asking the mayor's office for a formal investigation into the process of selecting candidates for the commission, and is demanding that she be re-slated for potential appointment.
A spokesperson for the Commission released a statement Thursday afternoon that in part calls the six candidates slated for appointment "highly qualified."
They include Anjanette Young, whose experience as a victim of a wrongful police search has made her a central figure in the drive for police reform in Chicago.
The statement also calls claims about the process "false and misleading."
There's no word from the mayor's office on any investigation.
CCPSA member calls for investigation; 'visitor' responds
