Anjanette Young, a Chicago woman who became an advocate for police reform after being the victim of a botched law enforcement raid in 2019, was nominated on April 14 to join the Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Young’s nomination is seen as an effort to bring community experience and a commitment to transparency and accountability into police oversight. Mayor Johnson said in his statement announcing Young’s nomination that it “helps ensure that police oversight efforts are grounded in community voice, lived experience, and a shared commitment to transparency, accountability, and equity.”
The City Council must approve the nomination before Young can join the commission. She acknowledged some critics have questioned her impartiality due to her advocacy but rejected those claims. “It’s disheartening because anyone who has followed me from 2019, when it happened, up until this very point [knows] I’ve never said anything against the police,” Young told Block Club. “I’ve only highlighted how we need to do better, so that we have good policing and that we get rid of bad actors.”
Young was wrongfully raided by Chicago Police officers at her Near West Side home in February 2019 while she was undressed after returning from work as a social worker. The officers were acting on faulty intelligence when they entered with guns drawn and handcuffed her within seconds of breaking down her door.
The incident led to significant consequences including an apology from then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot, resignations among city officials involved with the case, disciplinary action against officers responsible for the raid, and a $2.9 million settlement awarded to Young.
In February this year, Young published “Past The Pain,” recounting her experiences since the raid which she described as being “baptized by fire” into advocacy work. Last week she introduced legislation called the Anjanette Young Act alongside State Representative Kam Buckner in Springfield; if passed it would ban no-knock warrants statewide and prohibit pointing guns at children during raids.
Since becoming an advocate for victims of police misconduct in Chicago—including supporting others who received settlements following wrongful raids—Young said joining the commission would give her “a larger platform to attempt to impact change as it relates to the way the Chicago Police Department engages with the community.” She added: “For me to have an opportunity to be on this commission…that is what I’m hoping to do.”
She also clarified that although she continues advocating against no-knock warrants outside of this role, such policies are not within direct purview of responsibilities for commissioners.
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability was established in 2021 as a civilian body tasked with overseeing Chicago’s police department along with related agencies aimed at strengthening accountability measures within law enforcement practices.
