The Associated Press
CHICAGO- A black state senator said he was the victim of racial profiling when a white officer pulled his car over and waved a gun in his face.
Sen. James Meeks, who is also a minister, said the incident happened Wednesday night when his driver was taking him, his wife and his son home from the 10,000-seat House of Hope Church, where he is pastor.
Meeks said the officer pulled over their vehicle after they passed his police car stopped in the middle of a street. When Meeks got out of the car, the officer allegedly pulled out his gun and repeatedly yelled at Meeks to get back inside his vehicle.
“If this is the way a respected clergyman, the pastor of the largest church in Illinois, a state senator and the chair of the Illinois Black Caucus is treated, I know the average young black person on the street doesn’t stand a chance,” Meeks said in a statement.
The officer issued four tickets, including one for failure to stop at a stop sign and another for an unfastened seat belt, the senator said.
Chicago police spokesman Sgt. Robert Cargie said the department has high standards for its personnel.
“By virtue of that fact, if there are allegations that an officer has been part of a transgression, we investigate,” Cargie said.
Mayor Richard Daley promised a thorough investigation.
“The kind of behavior Rev. Meeks described is not only appalling and unacceptable, it is an embarrassment to all of us who have worked hard to bring people together for the common good of a great city,” Daley said in a statement.
Meeks runs as an independent but mostly aligns with the Democrats.