Hundreds of mourners lined up outside a funeral home in Oak Lawn on Sunday to pay their respects to fallen Chicago police officer Enrique Martínez, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this month.
As the sun set and the last rays pierced the clouds, and the temperature dropped in the early evening, the trickle of people walking into its wake remained constant.
Near the main entrance of the Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, some crouched down to pet and cuddle a therapy dog — a St. Bernard — also on hand as part of the Chicago Police Department’s employee assistance program, which provides mental health services . Throughout the afternoon, Salvation Army volunteers approached people in line to offer them hot chocolate and bottled water while they waited.
Martínez, a 26-year-old who had been on the force for less than three years, was fatally shot on Nov. 4 while conducting a traffic stop in the Chatham neighborhood on the city’s south side. Darion C. McMillian, 23, of Harvey, has been charged with charges including first-degree murder of an officer and first-degree murder and will remain in custody until trial.
In front of the funeral home, three trees had lost their leaves since the last time police officers, loved ones and citizens lined up outside: just seven months ago, officer Luis Huesca was mourned there after he was shot and killed while returning home from work earlier this year.
“People have asked me: why do we keep coming back here? Why are we here again, doing the same thing over and over again?” Former Chicago Police Department Chief Eugene Roy told reporters on Sunday.
He said the city is suffering from an outright disease: “This cancer I am talking about is a blatant disrespect for the institutions that have made this city, this county, this state and this country great.”
“We need to make our streets safe for everyone,” Roy added. “If it’s not safe for police officers — whether it’s an on-duty officer in full uniform or an officer coming in at the end of their shift — that says a lot about Chicago.”
After comforting the family inside, Dave Gier prepared to leave on his motorcycle.
“We don’t know them, but we owe them,” said Gier, senior ride captain in the Northeast Illinois Region of the Illinois Patriot Guard Riders, whose volunteer members attend the first responders’ memorial services. He wore a leather vest with patches and pins commemorating every funeral and wake he has attended since 2008.
He tapped a set of short black-and-blue rubber bands with four-digit badge numbers attached to his vest: mourning bands for CPD officers. The ones at the top were faded. At the bottom was one of many handed out to officers on Sunday afternoon. Etched onto it was Martínez’s badge number: 8314.
The hardest thing every time is to notice that the parents of killed police officers are only getting younger.
“It’s never easy, but it’s always an honor,” Gier said. “And we will honor them in any way we can.”
After 30-year-old Huesca, Martínez is the second and last police officer to be killed this year. Last May, Officer Aréanah Preston, 25, was also fatally shot as she returned from a late night shift. A month earlier, 32-year-old officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso was killed in the line of duty.
Martínez’s murder has highlighted political tensions and public safety concerns. On Saturday, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he would not attend the funeral after the officer’s family requested he stay away; a similar situation occurred when Officer Huesca’s family members asked Johnson not to attend his memorial services.
The progressive mayor has faced criticism over law enforcement issues and frequently clashed with John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7.
“These days and these speeches are far too common, to say the least,” Catanzara told reporters on Sunday. “They can talk all they want about lowering the crime rate, but I don’t think there’s a single soul in Chicago who feels safer right now.”
After an apparent joke to Jonhson, he quickly changed the subject.
“I would actually prefer not to talk too much about the drama that has led to this day,” he said, “because this is specifically about Enrique, his family and his brothers and sisters in blue. I just want to highlight his service to this city. Yet another young officer lost far too soon, trying to do justice to this city and its citizens.”
Martínez’s family has also reportedly asked Governor JB Pritzker not to appear at services. Outside the funeral home, Roy Pritzker called for a reconsideration of the effectiveness of Illinois’ historic sweeping health reform law, which took effect last year, citing prosecutors who said the alleged shooter had worn a court-sanctioned ankle monitor related to with pending drug charges. , which he removed shortly after the traffic stop when he shot Martínez.
Some critics say electronic monitoring allows violent criminals to return to their communities, while others say it is an oversimplification to say the measure fuels gun violence in Chicago.
“I hope the governor will take some time this week to reflect on this tragedy … and say, ‘The Safe-T Act was well-intentioned, but it’s not working. Let’s solve it,” Roy said.
adperez@chicagotribune.com
