In a significant legal move, a cohort of migrant day laborers has initiated a lawsuit against Home Depot, the Chicago Police Department (CPD), and the city of Chicago, alleging racially charged harassment and assault by police officers employed in secondary roles as security personnel at the retail giant. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims a systematic pattern of abuse particularly targeting Venezuelan migrants at a Home Depot location in New City.
The legal action, represented by attorneys from Raise The Floor Alliance and The People’s Law Office, was announced in a press conference where migrant workers displayed a poignant message: “We demand work and dignity.” During the event, one of the plaintiffs, Willian Alberto Gimenez Gonzalez from Venezuela, shared his harrowing experiences: “I was beaten, mistreated and humiliated for the simple fact of being an immigrant and wanting to progress in life and help my family.”
According to the lawsuit, the Home Depot at 4555 S. Western Blvd. increased its security measures following the arrival of Venezuelan migrants in the fall of 2023, employing off-duty CPD officers. These officers, along with Home Depot staff, are accused of violating the civil rights of the day laborers, leading to demands for monetary compensation.
The CPD and Home Depot have refrained from commenting on the ongoing litigation, and the city of Chicago’s Law Department has not responded to inquiries.
The plaintiffs, primarily Venezuelan, recount multiple instances of harassment and physical assault. They allege that they were approached by off-duty officers identifiable by their “POLICE” vests while seeking employment near the store’s western entrance. Attorney Jamitra Fulleord highlighted the gravity of the situation, stating, “This lawsuit reflects a disturbing history of CPD abuses that have coalesced into one scheme.”
The lawsuit details that non-Venezuelan day laborers also gather at the southern entrance of the parking lot, yet the security focus and alleged abuses have predominantly targeted those near the Western Boulevard entrance.
Disturbingly, the plaintiffs claim they were handcuffed, physically assaulted, and subjected to ethnic slurs in a secluded backroom within Home Depot. Betuel Castro Camacho, a Colombian plaintiff, recounted an incident where after revealing his ethnicity, security officers accused him of “lying” about not being Venezuelan, assaulted him, and damaged his personal property. In a particularly egregious allegation, he claims security personnel expressed that “this country was better without Venezuelans.”
The legal document outlines abuses spanning from October 2023 to May 2024, with specific Home Depot employees and CPD officers named as defendants. Following these confrontations, several plaintiffs were charged with misdemeanors for criminal trespass, though most charges have since been dismissed.
This lawsuit echoes a similar case from 2008 involving the same Home Depot location, suggesting a persistent issue with the treatment of day laborers by CPD officers in secondary employment roles.
The plaintiffs are urging the court to mandate a reform in CPD’s policies regarding secondary employment to prevent further incidents of abuse. Fulleord passionately argued, “Because of the harassment, physical and emotional abuse, and displacement experienced by day laborers, we demand that the city of Chicago ends its practice of allowing its officers to moonlight as security and use its force against community members.”
This case highlights ongoing concerns about the CPD’s lenient moonlighting policies, which allow off-duty officers to carry weapons and handcuffs while working as security, potentially leading to abuses of power as alleged in this lawsuit.
