City Council panel advances ban on cops joining Proud Boys, other extremist groups

A measure aimed at rooting out Chicago police officers with ties to extremist, anti-government groups like the far-right Proud Boys or Oath Keepers is set for a City Council vote as early as Wednesday.

That’s after the 17th version of the measure passed the council’s Workforce Development Committee by a 6 to 3 vote on Monday, with some debate.

The proposal from Ald. Matt Martin (47th) would ban Chicago cops from engaging in “extremist activities,” defined in the measure as any attempt to overthrow any level of U.S. government through violence or “unconstitutional means.” The prohibition also applies to the planning, execution or “material support” of hate crimes.

In his appeal to colleagues, Martin said Chicago must defend against federal acts such as President Donald Trump’s Day 1 signing of roughly 1,500 pardons for those convicted of attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I believe that this is the backdrop that we are operating under and requires that cities like Chicago act with clear responsibility,” Martin said.

Martin cited a 2024 report from city Inspector General Deborah Witzburg that stated “the city’s handling of extremism in its police ranks has fallen short.”

At least a dozen Chicago police officials were previously investigated for their alleged ties to the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, extremist groups whose members played a key role in the Jan. 6 riot.

Monday's action also followed a joint investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ, called “Extremism in the Ranks,” which documented troubling allegations against Chicago cops on a leaked roster of an anti-government group and the efforts to hold those officers accountable.

The measure that advanced out of committee Monday would also give investigatory power over extremist allegations to the city's independent, civilian police watchdog known as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, instead of the department’s internal investigatory unit.

Ald. Nick Sposato (38th), one of the council’s most conservative alders who supported Trump, said it was unfair to apply the ordinance only to police. He equated extremist police officers with protesters outraged at the 2020 police murder of George Floyd or activists’ use of the pro-Palestinian phrase “from the river to the sea.”

“We're singling out police, and once again, we can't stop with the Jan. 6 thing,” Sposato said. “We don't mention a damn thing about the Black Lives Matters riots.”

Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) appeared exasperated at the argument that it’s unjust to apply a higher standard to “people with guns that have the ability to kill on duty.” He added that comparing police to protesters is not “apples to apples” and that the referenced pro-Palestinian phrase is not “anti-American.”

“What are we doing? This shouldn’t be that controversial of a conversation to have,” he said.

Yancy gave an uncensored account of his own interactions with racist police officers, including once when he says a cop used the N-word to describe him at a protest.

“I don’t see a problem with a mechanism that holds law enforcement accountable when they are tied to extremist groups that are looking to stifle my own rights as a human being,” he said.

Alds. Derrick Curtis (18th) and Marty Quinn (13th) also cast no votes, similarly arguing the ban on extremist activity should apply to all.

“We have seen, not only during this administration but others, where basically police [are] just getting beat up on,” Curtis said. “If we do it citywide, I'm okay with this.”

An earlier version of the ordinance applied the ban on extremist activity to all city employees, but it was narrowed to avoid constitutional challenges, a law department representative testified.

“This is an incredibly difficult area to legislate in and not violate the law,” said city attorney Justin Edge. “If you focus on CPD only, it does lower the risk drastically.”

The more narrow scope also eased concerns from progressive advocates that the law could be used to tamp down on constitutional political activism in the future.

“We are concerned that in this political climate, designations like ‘anti-government extremists’ can be applied broadly, sweeping up those working tirelessly to protect our neighbors and our democracy,” said Loren Jones, with the policy nonprofit, Impact for Equity.

But the fact that “this ordinance applies only to the Chicago Police Department” lessens that concern, she said.