Mayor O'Dekirk Cleared By State Police In May 31, 2020 Scuffle

JOLIET, IL — Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch on Wednesday night there was never any doubt in his mind that the Illinois State Police would clear him of criminal wrongdoing in connection with his role in a scuffle with two young Black men on May 31, 2020.

That night was marked by widespread civil unrest, rioting and scores of arrests by Joliet police across the city after a George Floyd demonstration got out of control near the White Castle restaurant at Larkin Avenue and Jefferson Street.

During the past year, a number of political adversaries used the mayor's altercation to blast O'Dekirk. During his recent successful run for office, Joliet City Council candidate Cesar Guerrero informed Patch: " I stood at the corner of Larkin and Jefferson for weeks and was horrified when I saw our own mayor attack peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters as they demonstrated against exactly the kind of state violence they were out protesting against."

On Wednesday, O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch that he was interviewed earlier in the day by Joliet Herald-News reporter Bob Okon whose newspaper had obtained the Illinois State Police criminal investigation into the mayor's scuffle on West Jefferson Street with Victor Williams and Jamal Smith.

Okon published a news story Wednesday night that was headlined,"No Charges Coming Against Joliet Mayor As State Police Release Case File On May 31, 2020 Incident."

"Jefferson Street got out of control, and I got caught in the middle of that," O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch.

The mayor said that even though that night was marked widespread unrest, criminal property damage to several businesses, and it later led to several small protests organized in front of his house, "I've always been focused on being mayor and leading the city forward," O'Dekirk said.

O'Dekirk told Patch he was always confident the Illinois State Police would exonerate him for his role in his scuffle with Williams and Smith.

A total of 30 people, mostly Joliet area residents, were arrested that same night of May 31, 2020, in connection with looting, assault, criminal damage to property and other related offenses including Smith and Williams. By early July, their criminal charges were dismissed by the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow.

Just days before the criminal charges were dropped against Smith and Williams, one of O'Dekirk's biggest critics at the time, Joliet resident Mady Perez appeared at a City Hall news conference.

Perez told reporters that O'Dekirk did nothing improper on the night of the street violence.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, yes, I've bumped heads with Mayor O'Dekirk, but I respect him," Perez said last June. "I will say that him being out there Sunday, I found a greater respect for him. It showed he really cares about our community. Seeing him to take that kneel ... with the people at White Castle, that just sent a big message to me. And I think we need to put our personal differences aside, and we need to come together as one."

According to O'Dekirk, Okon asked him on Wednesday about some statements contained in the Illinois State Police case report attributed to then-Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner claiming O'Dekirk made racial slurs to Roechner on the night in question.

O'Dekirk said he has not yet seen the written police report from the Illinois State Police.

Still, the mayor insisted that Roechner falsely claimed O'Dekirk referred to a group of Black people on the night of the street rioting as apes or monkeys or some other racial slur.

"It's a complete fabrication made up by Al Roechner," O'Dekirk told Patch on Wednesday night. "This is a disgruntled ex-employee who had a history of lying about police officers under his command ... He claims that I yelled something like f*** you apes at a group of African-Americans on Wilcox Street.

"I spent the bulk of that night observing our cops who were out arresting people for looting and I, as mayor, that was part of my role."

On Oct. 2, Joliet Patch reported that two lawyers from Chicago filed a federal lawsuit against Mayor O'Dekirk, who is a former Joliet police officer, and unnamed officers at the Joliet Police Department, accusing them of false arrest/unlawful detention, failure to intervene, malicious prosecution, conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress, against their clients, Williams and Smith.

According to the lawsuit filed by the Chicago lawyers for Williams, "Defendant Mayor O'Dekirk grabbed plaintiff in and around the neck area and about the body and forcefully drove him backwards and subsequently threw him to the ground."

Now that he's been cleared by Illinois State Police, O'Dekirk said he also expects the federal lawsuit against him and the Joliet police will fail.

"I'm confident the civil proceedings are going to come to the same conclusion," O'Dekirk said.