Some Chicagoans are calling for a police officer to be fired after an 18-year-old activists says the officer knocked her teeth out during a protest that turned violent Friday night in Grant Park.
At least 18 police officers were injured and 12 people were arrested when protesters clashed with police near the park's Christopher Columbus statue.
According to Chicago police, several items like rocks, frozen water bottles and fireworks were thrown at officers.
Additionally, several complaints against officers have been filed, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. In one of the controversial incidents, activist Miracle Boyd said an officer knocked out her front tooth as she recorded the arrest of another protester.
"The police officer came up to me, and he smacked the phone out of my hand, and it hit me in the mouth," she said.
In a lengthy statement, Mayor Lori Lightfoot condemned protesters who attacked police officers, while also saying that reports of excessive force by officers were “unacceptable.”
Illinois Sen. Robert Peters, who recently offered Boyd an internship, joined others in a call for justice Saturday.
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"[An] 18-year-old who fights every day for gun violence prevention, who fights for a safe community, and what did she face? Abuse," he said.
An emotional Ald. Jeanette Taylor, of the city's 20th Ward, has supported Boyd's activism over the years, and on Saturday, expressed criticism over the mayor's response.
"We cannot continue to fund people who kill us," she said. "We just cannot. We’re so interested in protecting a dead statue that we don’t protect the 34 people who got shot over the weekend?”
