Ephraim LeeReader staffon January 12, 2023 at 3:57 am

A Navy reservist for 24 years, Lee is pursuing a master’s degree in social work. He is the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy beat 215 facilitator.

Candidate questionnaire responses:

Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? No
Do you have experience interacting with CPD? Yes
Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should stay about the same.
CPD reform: The police need training and some reform.
Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to crises.

What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?

Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
Helping police do a better job
Other: “To act as an honest and trustworthy bridge between the citizens of the district, and the police.”

Why are you running for Police District Council?

“I am running for the Second District Police Council because I believe that there are parts/agencies of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) that lack strong, decisive, leadership, and ethical guidance. For too many years, our police department has failed to champion and live up to a clear and unfettered code of fairness, accountability, and values, throughout the entire department.

This failure of having high standards of professionalism, has placed the department, its members, and the citizens that it has sworn to protect, at odds with one another and this division has led to increased crime, deep-seated anger, and fissures of distrust that have grown over time. I firmly believe that only through a dedicated urgency of transparency, and a renewed focus on justice, fairness, and respect, can these decades of wounds be fully healed. I hope to be a part of this change.”

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