Originally Posted on February 25, 2021

Today members of Lodge 7 and others traveled to Springfield to voice opposition for the parole of 2 murderers of CPD members. Blue lives DO NOT matter to the the majority of the Illinois Parole Board.

Patrolman Herman Stallworth died after being shot during a traffic stop. His partner , Eugen Ervin, was wounded in the incident. Ervin was shot in the face through the windshield and was catastrophically injured.

Officer Stallworth and his partner stopped a vehicle at Cottage Grove Avenue and Marquette Road for speeding. There were two occupants and neither had identification. As his partner radioed in the license number, he questioned the occupants. The driver opened fire, striking Patrolman Stallworth in the chest. Before the second officer could exit the squad car, he was also shot but able to radio for help.

Twenty units responded to the call for assistance and the passenger was captured as he mingled with the crowd that had gathered around Officer Stallworth as he lay wounded in the street. The driver barricaded himself in an apartment in the 6400 block of South Maryland. He fired at police through the door but surrendered when he ran out of ammunition. Patrolman Stallworth was transported to Billings Hospital where he died during surgery.

Patrolman Stallworth's 24-year-old killer, a former basketball star at Iowa State University, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 1974, after the U.S. Supreme Court did away with the death penalty, his sentence was commuted to 100 to 300 years. As of September 1, 2020, he was still in prison. He has been denied parole more than 30 times.

Patrolman Stallworth was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Chicago Police Department for eight years. He received two honorable mentions and three department citations during his career. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Sergeant James L. Severin and Patrolman Tony Rizzato were shot and killed by gang members while patrolling community housing for an all-volunteer "Walk and Talk" project.

As the officers proceeded across the Seward Park baseball field, the assailants opened fire from an apartment window. Both officers were mortally wounded in the attack.

The purpose of the shooting was to seal a pact between two rival gangs. Three adults and one juvenile were later apprehended and charged with murder. The two shooters, ages 17 and 23, were convicted of murder and sentenced to 100 to 199 years in prison. As of September 3, 2020, both were in prison.

The Board voted 8-4 to grant parole to both of these cop killers. The board is appointed by the Governor. This further highlights the importance of VOTING and hold these politicians accountable for their callous indifference to law enforcement and our fallen brothers and sisters. Members of this board need to be replaced not only to make sure cop killers stay in prison but other violent felons as long as possible.

This is how the board voted

CRAIG FINDLEY, CHAIR N

1. DANIEL BRINK, MEMBER Y
2. EDITH CRIGLER, MEMBER Y
3. LISA DANIELS, MEMBER Y
4. D. WAYNE DUNN, MEMBER Y
5. PETE FISHER, MEMBER N
6. OREAL JAMES, MEMBER Y
7. VIRGINIA MARTINEZ, MEMBER Y
8. AURTHUR MAE PERKINS, MEMBER Y
9. JOSEPH RUGGIERO, MEMBER N
10. DONALD SHELTON, MEMBER N
11. ELEANOR WILSON, MEMBER Y

Our coward States Attorney did not weigh in on either case and has committed to not doing so going forward. Now that’s real leadership huh. Did you expect anything less from her?