At least eight Chicago Police officers are under investigation after Rep. Bobby Rush showed surveillance video of the officers lounging in his South Side campaign officer while looting and other criminal activity took place in the surrounding area. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the incident is being thoroughly investigated, and that the officers will be identified and held accountable. Lightfoot also has directed her legal team to draft state legislation that will require licensing and certification of police officers.

“Clearly, I believe that they tarnished the badge,” Lightfoot said. “I believe that we should take the strongest possible action that we can take.”

On Thursday (June 11), Rep. Bobby Rush detailed the incident at an afternoon press conference with Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Department. 

Two weeks ago, in the early hours of Monday morning, Rush said he received a call that his campaign office — located at 55th and South Wentworth — was burglarized during the uprisings sparked by the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville.

Screen capture of Rep. Bobby Rush at the June 11 press conference.

He looked over the surveillance video of his office which, he said, showed at least eight Chicago Police officers lounging in his office while looting was taking place at surrounding businesses in the shopping center where his office sits. 

“We saw eight or more police officers, including three white shirts, relaxing during these most difficult times,” Rush said. “They had feet upon the desk.”

Rush also detailed seeing one officer asleep on the couch in his campaign office, another with his head on a desk inside the campaign office, and another one of his cell phone.

“They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn — my popcorn — in my microwave while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sight,” Rush said.

Lightfoot and CPD Supt. David Brown apologized to Rep. Rush during the afternoon press conference.

“I’m sorry that you and your staff even had to deal with this indignity,” Lightfoot said.

Brown also said, “We’re going to hold you accountable and it affects my leadership.”

In recent weeks, community organizers and protesters have demanded that Lightfoot defund CPD, which currently has a 2020 budget of $1.7 billion — more than $4 million per day. Defunding CPD is among the list of 10 demands presented by Black Lives Matter Chicago.

“One of the proposed solutions by Mayor Lightfoot was to implement counseling for police officers who are in practice,” said Bella Bahhs, a community organizer. “That directly goes against our demand to defund the police and reallocate those funds to the community.”

This is a breaking news story. (This story has been updated to reflect a change in the campaign office’s location). 

is the editor-in-chief of The TRiiBE.