Formal complaints lodged against Chicago firefighters accused of removing Black Lives Matter banner
CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire Department has formally lodged complaints against several firefighters as it continues an internal investigation into allegations they removed a Black Lives Matter banner in the Kenwood neighborhood.
All firefighters who were on Fire Truck 15 at the time of the alleged incident last Saturday have been served with the allegations, according to department spokesman Larry Langford.
Langford did not say how many people were on the truck at the time, but said the matter would be handled by the department’s internal affairs division. If the complaints are sustained, discipline “up to and including termination” is possible.
The allegations were made by Dr. Adele Cobbs, who said she snapped a photo of the truck moments after the banner was taken down. Cobbs said Thursday she gave a formal statement to an assistant fire commissioner earlier in the week.
Cobbs said she was driving north on Cornell Avenue toward 47th Street when she came upon the fire truck stopped by the side of the narrow, two-way road next to Burnham Park.
She said she pulled over when she saw someone get out of the truck’s passenger side. From her rearview mirror, she could see someone removing the banner from a chain-link fence, she told The Chicago Tribune.
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