The worst, most sued police officer on the Berwyn police force, David Green, is being appointed to Division Commander at this Tuesday’s (4/12) City Council meeting at 8pm. This leaves Green close in line to be promoted next to Deputy Police Chief and possibly Police Chief. Green was just promoted to sergeant last year despite being a defendant in 5 federal lawsuits - the largest amount of lawsuits filed against a current officer, costing taxpayers more than $80K in settlements, and continually harassing local activists. 

READ THE LAWSUITS AND MORE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST GREEN: whyberwyn.net

Green’s record should have cost him his job. Yet, AGAIN, Mayor Robert Lovero and Police Chief Michael Cimaglia are rewarding him with an appointment and promotions. 

All five of Lovero’s rubber stamp aldermen (Alderman Lennon, Woywod, Leja, Fejt, and Arenella) are set to vote YES to Green’s appointment, ensuring its passage at this Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Yet AGAIN, Lovero’s administration is controlling appointments to city jobs at the expense of public safety, public trust, and taxpayer dollars.

BERWYN DESERVES BETTER!

A police officer with this history of excessive force should not have close contact with the public, much less be promoted. This pattern of behavior, currently financed by taxpayers in the amount of Green’s $68/hour salary, is unacceptable and yet another example of police corruption and political patronage in Berwyn (see more examples below).

City Council must vote NO to Green’s appointment and commit to identifying and rectifying the systemic issues that have led to the continued promotion of an officer with a history of excessive lawsuits and inappropriate behavior. Council must implement safeguards to protect our community from those who betray their oath to protect and serve.  

TAKE ACTION!

1. Sign & Share the Petition!
2. Read and share the lawsuits and more against Green:   whyberwyn.net
3. Contact Your Berwyn Alderman: bit.ly/contactberwyncouncil
4. Speak out at City Council, Tuesday, April 12 at 8pm. Or email a brief statement by 2pm Tuesday to City Clerk Marge Paul at mpaul@ci.berwyn.il.us and it will be given to council.

BPD OFFICER DAVID GREEN’S RECORD

• Multiple federal lawsuits have been filed against Det. Green with allegations such as wrongful arrest, excessive force, civil conspiracy, and other violations of residents’ constitutional rights.
• The most disturbing of these cases alleges Green followed a person of color out of a bar, showed his police badge and assaulted the victim. The victim called police only to be wrongfully arrested by BPD.
• Most cases were settled--suggesting some level of guilt--and costing taxpayers more than $80,000.
• In addition to these lawsuits, Green participated in and defended the excessive police presence at Berwyn’s first BLM rally at City Hall--which Mayor Robert Lovero and Police Chief Michael Cimaglia later admitted was not an appropriate response to this family-friendly community event.
• Green also has a documented history of harassing Berwyn residents online and in Council meetings for practicing their First Amendment rights, the most recent incident occurring at a City Council meeting last month. 

Police Corruption and Political Patronage in Berwyn

• 7 members of the Cimaglia family are on the City payroll, costing Berwyn residents $224/hour. (City of Berwyn Payroll Records, 2021)
• Green’s alarming record was covered by free speech activist Sean Reyes, known as Long Island Auditor (LIA). Reyes documented the Berwyn Police Department violating his rights while attempting to record inside City Hall. Officer Green’s wife, City Administrator Ruth Siaba-Green ($63/hour salary) signed the complaint against Reyes, leading to his arrest. The incident was covered by the news show The Young Turks in a video that has reached 6M views. (November 2021)
• Chief Cimaglia published a politically charged, vindictive letter attacking Berwyn's first Black alderman, Alderman Joe Carmichael. Lovero has allowed the post to remain on the Berwyn Police Department’s Facebook page. (November 2021)
• The Berwyn Police Department covered up the arrest of a City employee and patronage hire, who was arrested on a weekday this past October. (October 2021)
• Cimaglia pushed City Council for a $3.8M no-bid contract for body cameras from Axon, who donated $2,500 to Lovero’s re-election campaign, which Lovero was forced to return after it was exposed. City Council deferred the vote after the Axon corruption and Lovero donation connection was exposed. (September 2020).  
• Cimaglia and Lovero’s bad faith response to allegations of racial profiling by Berwyn Police resulted in the resignation of two members of the City’s Diversity Commission, including its chair and its only Black member, who stated “ stating: “Sadly, the administration is actively participating in issues we are working to rectify, such as: the erasure/gaslighting of female and Black voices, blatant conflicts of interest, lack of governmental transparency, and the lack of public accountability of public servants. Among the examples they gave was that for six months Chief Cimaglia ignored requests to respond to the Commission’s recommendations to reduce and prevent racial bias.”  (August 2020)
• Cimaliga and Lovero allowed armed vigilantes to break curfew, roam Cermak, and profile Black drivers and pedestrians during the George Floyd civil unrest, actions that terrified Black residents in Berwyn and kept them confined to their homes. Lovero and Cimaglia initially denied the vigilantism before public pressure forced them to apologize. (June 2020)

***

About Rizoma Collective

Founded in 2019, Rizoma Collective is a political action committee dedicated to community, transparency, and social-justice within Cicero, Berwyn and surrounding neighborhoods. Rizoma actively works toward creating a more progressive, welcoming and equitable community while fighting alongside community members who have been marginalized for far too long.