Chicago Anti-Bashing Network co-founder Andy Thayer participated in a Sunday press conference that activists are crediting with the release from custody of a police corruption opponent’s son.
Alan Pena, 17, was arrested on Sunday, March 4, on attempted murder charges. Alan’s mother, Ruth Pena, is the founder of Comité Exigimos Justicia, a leading anti-police corruption group.
At a press conference outside the 14th District police station, activists blasted the arrest. Alan was subsequently released Sunday evening, and the charges against him dropped.
Activists claim Pena’s arrest was political retribution aimed at his mother, and Thayer said the incident is an example of the continuing abuses carried out by the police department. It is also an example, he added, of the effectiveness of public pressure.