Police allegedly falsely arrest alderwoman after she filed assault and battery report against city administrator

Harvey police arrested Ald. Colby Chapman (2nd) last Thursday morning, August 22, one week after she filed a police report against a mayoral staffer for assault and battery.

But witnesses previously told the HWH that City Administrator Corean Davis initiated the attack, allegedly pushing Chapman into double mirrors near the mayor’s office after a special City Council meeting on August 14.

Chapman was attempting to speak with Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, a member of the city’s corporation counsel, witnesses said. 

Davis, exiting the mayor’s office, pushed Chapman aside to prevent her from speaking with Krafthefer. Davis then told Krafthefer to come into the mayor’s office, before herself going inside. Krafthefer did not follow, a witness told the HWH.

Uniformed and auxiliary police then proceeded to block the doors as a man, who identified himself as George Gower, held back an agitated Chapman back from approaching the mayor’s door. Davis did not respond to requests for comment.

Two people signed witness statements to accompany Chapman’s report. To date, she has not received a copy of that report, she said last Thursday afternoon. 

Both witness comments and timeline of events cast doubt on city officials’ statements. And the debacle raises concerns that the Clark administration is leveraging law enforcement to retaliate against critics.

Did the mayor’s office lie?

The afternoon of August 21, the HWH reached out to city officials for comment on an alleged assault facilitated by Davis, who—along with other city officials, including Mayor Chris Clark—did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

That night, two detectives staked out Chapman’s home. They told Chapman she “needed to come with them,” according to Chapman. She did not. The morning of August 22, police arrested Chapman. Harvey Police Chief Cameron Biddings did not respond to requests for comment.

Hours after Chapman’s arrest, city spokesperson Glenn Harston II released a statement. The statement was not provided to the HWH, but obtained via a confidential source:

“Harvey Police Department has arrested City of Harvey 2nd Ward Alderwoman Colby Chapman in connection with an alleged assault on City Administrator Corean Davis. The incident, which occurred on August 14, 2024 following the City Council meeting, at the City of Harvey Municipal Building located at 15320 Broadway Ave, is currently under investigation.

According to the preliminary investigation, video footage from the municipal building’s surveillance system captured the altercation between Alderwoman Chapman and Administrator Davis. The footage shows Administrator Davis attempting to speak with the City of Harvey attorney when she encountered Alderwoman Chapman. The video then depicts Alderwoman Chapman becoming visibly upset and aggressively moving toward Administrator Davis. An unidentified male is seen restraining Alderwoman Chapman as she allegedly attempted to confront Administrator Davis, who was behind glass doors. The footage also captures Alderwoman Chapman making several gestures indicative of a desire to escalate the situation physically.

The investigation is ongoing, and further details will be released as they become available. No other details are available at this time. The City of Harvey remains committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all residents, city officials and employees.”

Harvey officials have not released the video footage of that night. The city’s statement does not mention Chapman’s police report, nor the two individuals who submitted witness statements to corroborate it.

The HWH followed up with city officials the day after it released its statement and police arrested Chapman. Harston II, president of the Black-owned Gemini Group LTD. public relations firm that holds a contract with Harvey, did not respond to requests for comment. Clark did not respond to requests for comment.

In that time, Harston II released Chapman’s mugshot and a heavily redacted arrest report that does not indicate if Chapman’s assault charge is over a municipal or state law, according to the Daily Southtown.Communications director Alexia Hall did not respond to requests for comment.

Prolonged tension

The arrest comes two weeks after police officers staked out Chapman’s ward office on August 8, located at the Transformation Community United Methodist Church, she told the Southtown.

Since being elected in 2023, Chapman’s been a vocal critic of the mayor’s. The mayor’s Chief of Staff Ramona Simpson made a surprise visit to Chapman’s back-to-school event on August 10. 

Mayoral staff have not previously attended any of Chapman’s community events.

Similar history 

In 2022, Harvey police arrested Harvey public library treasurer and Dixmoor village manager, CBS2 Chicago reported. McCaskill and Clark competed against one another in the 2019 and 2023 mayoral races. Like Chapman, McCaskill has also been a vocal critic of the mayor.

Officers were responding to a 911 call at Gloria Taylor Center, where McCaskill previously served as commissioner, over illegal fireworks. McCaskill was charged with four misdemeanors, including resisting arrest.

Police also arrested his wife Kisha McCaskill, current executive director of the Harvey Park District, for reckless driving.

Dixmoor village president Fitzgerald Robert called the move “[a] political struggle to make someone look bad.”

At a 2023 mayoral forum, McCaskill alleged that Harvey police later stole the park district’s fireworks for the mayor’s display.