Three people were arrested Monday night after police say campaign posters for a Cook County commissioner candidate were defaced or destroyed in the Fuller Park area on Chicago’s South Side. The Smith campaign said volunteers found torn and damaged signs along Garfield Boulevard and Shields Avenue and put the cost of replacements at roughly $4,000. Campaign staff told reporters the damage dates back to when the candidate announced his run in September and that the arrests marked a sharp escalation ahead of the primary.
Arrests on Shields Avenue
Officers took three people into custody about 10:46 p.m. Monday in the 5400 block of South Shields Avenue after responding to reports of sign damage, according to CBS Chicago. Campaign aides said the vehicles the men arrived in were towed and impounded, and that volunteers discovered multiple posters ripped or defaced at the scene. As of Tuesday night, police had not publicly detailed any charges.
Campaigns trade blame
The campaign for Andre Smith, who is running in the 2nd District Democratic primary for Cook County commissioner, said one of the men identified was a worker for rival Michael Scott’s campaign and urged a full investigation. Smith’s team told reporters the posters have been repeatedly targeted since his September announcement and again estimated about $4,000 in losses tied to replacement signs.
In a statement, Michael Scott’s campaign said it "does not condone this type of conduct in any way" and that it was addressing the matter with the individual involved, according to CBS Chicago. Both sides are now publicly insisting they want the situation cleared up, even as the incident adds some extra drama to an already tense primary.
Candidates and local context
Smith is a longtime South Side activist and organizer, and his campaign website lists him as the founder of Chicago Against Violence and highlights community-based anti-violence work, as outlined on Andre for Commissioner. Michael Scott is a former Chicago alderman with deep local ties and broad name recognition on the West Side, as noted in earlier coverage by the Chicago Sun-Times. The flare-up over street posters underlines how heated even down-ballot races can become when volunteers depend heavily on old-fashioned, block-by-block outreach.
What happens next
Investigators have not publicly released the identities of the people arrested or said whether prosecutors will file charges, and campaign officials say they are cooperating with police and keeping close tabs on the case. Both campaigns have stressed they want the matter resolved quickly. Smith’s team said it will keep replacing any damaged signage and will continue monitoring for further incidents as the primary approaches.
