Alderman says he witnessed racially motivated attacks on black people in Little Village

CHICAGO - The alderman of a mostly Mexican-American neighborhood in Chicago says he has witnessed racially motivated attacks in his community on innocent African Americans in recent days.

But Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said Wednesday he is unaware of the alleged hate crimes, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggests it might be part of a nationwide effort to foment racial tension.

Twenty-second Ward Alderman Mike Rodriguez says he is proud that his mostly Mexican-American Little Village neighborhood saw little if any looting, thanks to residents who chased away the roving bands of looters who did hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to other parts of Chicago. The ugly downside? They repeatedly attacked innocent African Americans, some of whom have homes in Little Village.

“I saw it with my own eyes, African Americans being targeted. It hurt me to my core. We're going to work very hard and make sure that doesn't happen again,” Rodriguez said.

The alderman doesn't dispute that Little Village's ad hoc defense force included members of Hispanic street gangs, nor that they battled black street gangs trying to loot the neighborhood. Once the battle became based on skin color, there were inevitably innocent victims.

“It was a very dangerous situation, but I was happy to be able to work with people who tried to help folks who were targeted,” Rodriguez said.

In a telephone conference call with journalists, Mayor Lightfoot and police Supt. Brown said they were unaware of any specific hate crimes. Lightfoot said she and other big city mayors suspect a sophisticated plot to destabilize America’s urban centers.

Alderman Rodriguez said he played no part in recruiting street gangs to defend Little Village, saying he works to get young men out of gangs.