The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Chicago Cop Killing:
Suicide, Not Murder

Nov 9, 2015

Fox Lake, Illinois police officer Joseph Gliniewicz was found dead on September 1. Immediately after, politicians like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and media outlets like Fox News jumped to blame his death on “anti-police” rhetoric and the “dangerous environment created by the Black Lives Matter movement.” The town launched a massive manhunt, and local officials and politicians called Gliniewicz a “hero cop” who “exemplified what it means to be a law enforcement officer.”

But it turns out Gliniewicz was a rotten cop who committed suicide because he was afraid his corruption would come to light. He had stolen money from the charity he ran, and had even explored ordering a hit on the village manager who was on the verge of finding out!

Gliniewicz set up the suicide to make it look like he was killed in the line of duty. He radioed dispatchers to say he was chasing three men, and later radioed for backup. But he was killed with his own gun, and no trace of the “three men” was ever found.

The authorities, the politicians and the media fell for an amateur set-up, an obvious lie from a cop already under suspicion. All because the story fit their reactionary propaganda.

It just goes to show what many people in prison already know: the authorities will believe any kind of BS story–if it comes from a cop.