The Office of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans released this statement, reproduced here in full:
This is in response to press inquiries regarding some judges who are not in the county’s “1B” category receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at Loretto Hospital.
Judges who have received the shots were informed that the vaccines were already mixed and would be destroyed if not used by the end of the day, so they could get shots after 3:30 p.m., supply permitting. The Loretto Hospital website makes clear that COVID-19 vaccinations are given up until 3 p.m., so shots given after this would be surplus. Judges who received shots did not take shots away from other eligible persons, but used shots that would otherwise have been destroyed.
Currently, judges in Cook County who are under 65 are not classified as 1B, the group currently eligible for the vaccine. However, the Illinois Supreme Court’s position is that vaccines should be available for all court officials and staff that have regular contact with the public and others in congregate setting, and judges under 65 in many other counties have already been vaccinated, according to Supreme Court spokesman Chris Bonjean.
Despite multiple precautions taken by the Office of the Chief Judge to protect court personnel and members of the public during the coronavirus pandemic --which has included conducting most proceedings by videoconference and teleconference -- judges and other court employees have not been immune from this virus. A total of 282 employees of the Office of the Chief Judge and 21 judges have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
COVID-19 vaccination is to protect against a deadly virus, and judges under 65 who have been able to get these shots violated no ethical rules, but acted in a responsible manner to protect themselves, their loved ones and the public, while not taking shots away from others in the 1B category.
Classic half-truths and evasive responses by Evans. First, most of the personnel who contracted COVID were law enforcement officers working either in Adult Probation or the Juvenile Detention Center whose essential functions required them to be in congregate settings and/or in communities with high COVID positivity rates. Judges are not law enforcement officers. The particular judges in question do not work in the criminal courts and were not in congregate settings as they were mostly working from home doing ZOOM from the comfort of their affluent suburban homes. Remember when Evans was congratulating himself for those 800,000+ orders that got entered this past year. Well, they were entered after ZOOM hearings. Second, there has been absolutely NO PROOF, other than the self-serving narrative of the judges that Loretto has ever told anyone that it mixed batches and that leftovers would be made available after 3:30. There is a recent Loretto Facebook post claiming that is what it is doing AFTER THE FACT, but there was no such written public statement BEFORE the Trumpers and judges were caught. Finally (and this is a big point) SO WHAT if the Supreme Court said judges should try to get vaccinated as soon as possible. That's beside the point. The Supreme Court didn't say "and to achieve that end, you are permitted to bump poor people in under-served communities." The point is that why would mostly white judges earning $200K per year and have health insurance subsidized by Illinois tax payers go to a "community" hospital on the westside of Chicago to take a vaccine from a community member who had no other options? Simple: entitle arrogance. Most of these judges could have easily jumped in their Mercedes Benz and taken a day trip to Champaign, Springfield or Quincy, Illinois where vaccines were readily available because the Trumpers and anti-vaxers are backwards and proving Darwin was right. But they decided they were entitled and chose to jump the line.
ReplyDeleteSo no, Tim. This was inexcusable. Your press release is bull*hit and the fact that you would not call these people out for their abuses simply shows that you are just as much a part of the problem as they are.
Made As Hell And Ain't Gonna Pander To These Parasites Anymore!
#noretention2022
#noretention2024
#noretention2026
#dumptheis2022
#indicttheotherburke
Tim Evans should be the next Chicago Police Superintendent because he certainly plays the Code of Silence well. This press release is nothing but propaganda to appease the masses and give shade so roaches can seek cover. Run and hide, roaches, run and hide.
ReplyDeleteThe Loretto Website does NOT make it clear that they would be discarding vaccine after 3:30. That's a narrative that it began to push AFTER it was caught clouting the judges and Trump Hotel employees. What did the site say before they were caught? Nothing. Does anyone really think that people from the westside wouldn't be running in there to get a shot if THEY knew (after being told) that they could just walk in and get a vital vaccine that would otherwise be wasted. THEY WERE NOT BEING TOLD. Meanwhile the administration was sending emails to its favored few, such as judges and other politicos so that they could call in favors later. The judges knew full well that the "waste" story was a cover. Evans is pushing the same "but the Loretto website says" half-truth and won't dig deep or ask questions because the answers will only reveal the awful truth: several of his pets bumped poor Black people from the Westside aside. Judges who actually participated and got the vaccine are a disgrace. That Evans would protect them with such a transparent lie is insulting. How many people died because of this?
ReplyDeleteI will not be voting to retain Evans in 2022 (or the vast majority of the 2022 retention class) and strongly suggest that the rest of you who profess to have a moral compass follow suit. The Daley Center needs a deep clean for more than just COVID. We need to fumigate that place with RAID and strategically place roach motels and rat traps on every floor of the building. That treatment might also be necessary at 160 North LaSalle too.
Doctor Doom
I’m sure this press release made more sense in the original Greek.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Doom for Chief Judge!
ReplyDeleteStupid people doing stupid things. Go figure.
ReplyDelete