Plaintiff:
Robert Carnilius Cogdell, III
Incident date:
10/23/2013
Location:
4620 N. Broadway St.
Allegations:
Codgell, an African-American graduate student, had just finished walking a co-worker to the CTA's Wilson Red Line station and was on his way home when Officers Williamson and Yakes, who were in plainclothes, stopped him. They accused him of committing a crime and forced Codgell back to the turnstiles at the station. Earlier, when Codgell was with his co-worker, a man asked if he could pass through on the co-worker's Ventra card. Codgell, who wasn't taking the train, swiped his Ventra card for the man instead, declined to take any money from him, and started walking home. The officers told Codgell it was illegal to accept money in exchange for the use of a Ventra card or to give away a transfer fare. Codgell denied he took any money from the man, showed the officers that he didn't have any cash and presented his Ventra card and identification. Officers then took Codgell to two separate police stations, searched him repeatedly, photographed and fingerprinted him before falsely charging him with giving away a transfer fare. The charge was later dismissed.