Communist activist vandalizes memorial dedicated to slain Chicago cop Ella French | The Post Millennial
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Communist activist vandalizes memorial dedicated to slain Chicago cop Ella French
In the wake of Chicago Police officer Ella French’s burial—the cop who was fatally shot earlier this month—a memorial dedicated in her honor inside the city’s Thompson Center was vandalized, sparking outrage across social media.
In the wake of Chicago Police officer Ella French's burial—the cop who was fatally shot earlier this month—a memorial dedicated in her honor inside the city's Thompson Center was vandalized, sparking outrage across social media.
The videos were originally tweeted by Anna Kochakian, who is suspected to be the individual who carried out the vandalism. The footage appears to show Kochakian recording herself vandalizing the memorial on camera.
"I got 'ma'am'ed once but kept walking without looking back w my big headphones on #AbolitionNow," wrote Kochakian in the original tweet containing the video of French's photo being taken off of a Back the Blue wreath and crumpled.
"cf earlier attempt to kick the whole stand down that didn't pan out esp w the acoustics," Kochakian continued, with a video showing the first attempt to knock the memorial over. Both videos have since been reposted across Twitter.
Following her posts, Kochakian has since locked and changed her username numerous times. It is unclear whether Kochakian has changed her username once again, or has deleted her account.
Kochakian, who graduated from DePaul University in 2017 with a Women's and Gender Studies degree, labeled herself as an "anarcho communist political education nerd" on Twitter, and wrote an article for the Midwest Socialist in December of last year about how to make the socialist movement last.
In regards to the incident, Chicago Police released the following statement, according to CBS Chicago: "Officer Ella French will live forever in our hearts. She was kind, respectful, compassionate, brave, loyal, dedicated, selfless. The exact opposite of this senseless act of vandalism."
Illinois State Police are reportedly investigating the matter, since it occurred within a state government building. A police source told CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot that a Chicago woman was associated with the incident, which is considered a Class 4 Felony.
According to Kochakian's LinkedIn account, which has since either gone private or has been deleted, she was working for Clockedin at the time, a Chicago startup focusing on hiring for businesses. A statement from the company doesn't address Kochakian by name, but says they are "appalled" by the actions of a now former employee.
"The appalling actions of one of our former employees has been brought to our attention today. We are disgusted by what she has done and want to make clear to everyone that this person's opinions in no way represent the perspectives or values of Clockedin," the statement read.
"We are committed to building a culture that is inclusive and respectful to all. Our sympathies go out to the families affected by this incident," they continued.
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