Cook County public commenter asks board to investigate alleged wrongful arrest, cites due‑process concerns
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Summary
A Cook County resident, Taiwan Sims, used public comment to allege a pattern of wrongful arrests and asked county leaders to investigate, invoking the 14th Amendment and naming local officials and courts. The board did not take formal action during the meeting.
A Cook County resident addressing the board during public comment on Sept. 1 urged the board to investigate what he called repeated wrongful arrests by local law‑enforcement agencies and raised constitutional concerns.
Taiwan Sims described two arrest incidents, gave a case number, and said he had been attending county meetings daily since early June to register his complaint. “I accept this be investigated,” Sims told county commissioners, and he invoked equal‑protection concerns under the 14th Amendment.
Sims said he was arrested near the county building on April 16 and again at 555 West Harrison on June 3 on an alleged warrant that he says dated from Aug. 8; he said the case was later reinstated on May 30. He named local officials and judges in his remarks and alleged mistreatment by officers he identified by name. Sims also said he had been cut off from speaking at earlier meetings and asked that the record be reopened so his complaints would be on the public record.
Discussion vs. decision: Sims’ remarks were made during the public‑comment portion of the meeting; the transcript records no board motion, referral, or investigative directive in response. No formal action was recorded.
Why it matters: the speaker asked county leaders to consider a criminal‑justice oversight or investigatory response to allegations that could implicate county law‑enforcement practices, court processing, or due‑process safeguards. The board’s transcript does not record staff follow‑up or a referral by commissioners.