Chicago Mayor Did Not Ban Vigils For Fallen Officer
The Claim
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot would not allow vigils in memory of fallen CPD officer Ella French.
News posted on
Emerging story
In early August Chicago Police Department officer Ella French was killed on duty during a traffic stop. Later in the month, social media users began claiming that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will not allow any vigils to be held in the officer’s name. These posts highlight that Mayor Lightfoot did allow Lollapalooza, a music event that drew a crowd of over 300,000 and was held in Grant Park, Chicago. One user commented, “She doesn’t have an honest, compassionate bone in her body!”
Misbar’s Analysis
Numerous vigils and memorials were held for Officer French, and Mayor Lightfoot issued no such orders about stopping them. On Monday, August 9th, two days after Officer French’s death, a vigil was attended by over 200 people in the area where she died. Wednesday, August 11th saw hundreds attend another vigil outside the Morgan Park Police Station in Chicago. On August 13, CBS Chicago reported on a vigil involving faith leaders, police officers, and community members. Fox 32 in Chicago detailed another community-wide vigil held on August 17th. Also, thousands of people attended the officer’s visitation and funeral.
The shooting of Officer French initially held controversy as news sources reported the officer to be a new mother, which was not true. Mayor Lightfoot has been receiving criticism from her city’s police force, as they feel she does not support them. This created an environment where susceptible readers would believe the disinformation about Lightfoot banning vigils — which did not actually happen.
