Chicago alderman accuses colleague of ‘unprovoked assault’
A South Side alderman is alleging a City Council colleague assaulted him, and calling for that council member to resign his leadership positions in the body.
Ald. Desmon Yancy, 5th, sent a message to Black Caucus Chair Stephanie Coleman, 16th, arguing 7th Ward Ald. Greg Mitchell’s behavior makes him “unfit for leadership,” an email obtained by the Tribune shows. He told his council colleagues Mitchell had made an “unprovoked assault” on him.
“This behavior is not only an escalation of aggression towards me from Mitchell, it is part of a pattern of intimidation and violence that he has become associated with since last fall,” Yancy wrote.
Mitchell allegedly grabbed Yancy during an argument over an ordinance sponsored by Yancy that seeks to requires 60% of new development in the South Shore neighborhood be reserved for affordable housing.
Yancy declined to comment Wednesday morning. He said he had committed to a process to resolve the controversy and would comment later Wednesday after the Black Caucus met.
Yancy demanded Mitchell resign his posts as chairman of the Transportation and Public Ways Committee, vice chairman of the Housing and Real Estate Committee and vice chairman of the Black Caucus.
“In today’s climate, political differences have devolved into name calling and violence toward elected officials,” Yancy said. “It is equally out of order that an elected official would resort to violence during a disagreement with a colleague.”
Mitchell declined comment Wednesday morning.
Last week’s incident was not the only time Mitchell has been involved in a scuffle. Last fall, a man recording a TikTok video was arrested for allegedly shoving the alderman after Mitchell grabbed his phone in protest of being filmed in the lobby of City Hall. But charges were dropped in November, records show.
The assault allegation is also the second claim of physical intimidation in the City Council in recent months.
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th, narrowly escaped council censure in November, a week after he was accused of threatening and trying to block some fellow aldermen from entering the council chambers to debate a resolution opposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. The aftermath saw Ramirez-Rosa resign his posts as Johnson’s floor leader and Zoning chair.
It’s so far unclear whether Mitchell could face consequences. Coleman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Johnson spokesperson declined comment.
The Tribune’s Alice Yin contributed.
jsheridan@chicagotribune.com