On March 21, 26 year-old Dexter Reed was surrounded by five plainclothes police officers in unmarked cars and shot and killed in a barrage of nearly 100 rounds of ammunition in 41 seconds — all because of an alleged seatbelt violation.

The officers who murdered Dexter Reed were on a police tactical team, an “elite” squad of plainclothes officers who usually patrol Black and Brown communities and use pretextual stops as an excuse to look for a larger crime.  Such units exist in police departments across the country.  There have been national calls for them to be shut down. 

Whenever and wherever such tactical teams are used, especially for pretextual stops, situations end in violence. These teams target people in certain populations and they have a habit of brutality. The officers who murdered 12 year-old Thomas “TJ” Siderio in Philadelphia in March 2022 and 29 year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis in January 2023 were a part of such tactical units.3

Black people in Chicago deserve better. Members of the community are demanding an end to pretextual traffic stops and for the dismantling of tactical teams that operate like death squads within the Chicago Police Department. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling vowed to prioritize accountability but, instead, he has been following the same war cry of law and order, making excuses for police violence and feeding into blaming the victim.

The City of Chicago has the power to hold these officers accountable and reinforce that this kind of violence against Black people has consequences.

Demand Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling immediately fire the five officers involved in killing Dexter Reed.

Here is the Petition:

Dear Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling,

Not wearing a seatbelt is not a capital offense. Yet, on March 21, 26 year-old Dexter Reed was surrounded by five plainclothes Chicago police officers driving unmarked cars and shot and killed in a barrage of nearly 100 rounds of ammunition in 41 seconds — all because of an alleged seatbelt violation.

You vowed to prioritize accountability but, instead, you have been amplifying harmful "law and order" narratives, making excuses for police violence, and feeding into victim blaming. This has created a culture that empowers officers to aggressively target and harm Black people like Dexter Reed while never announcing themselves as police officers.

Dexter Reed never should have been stopped. There is no justification for the devastating police violence committed against him. We demand that you make good on your promise for accountability by immediately firing the five officers involved in killing Dexter Reed.