EVANSTON, Ill. — Officials in Evanston are reacting to a video that shows, what the city called, the ‘disturbing’ and ‘entirely unacceptable’ actions of city contractors.
The city says members of the StreetPlus Clean Team, contracted to provide cleaning, maintenance and landscaping services in downtown Evanston, came across a guy who was relieving himself on a utility box in Fountain Square.
The video shows the confrontations, with the team in blue jackets exchanging words with the man wearing the jersey, escalating over a few minutes.
The man shoves one person in the group, and then the fight spills into the street.
The video then shows multiple clean team members punching and kicking the man while he’s on the ground.
The city said in a statement Tuesday afternoon: “The actions captured in the footage of this incident are disturbing and entirely unacceptable, and are not in line with the City’s values. The City has immediately suspended the Streetplus program pending further investigation of this incident.”
The Streetplus team began its work in Evanston in November after the city signed the contract with the company last September.
Police say charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.