Official Featured At Darien Pro-Trump Fundraiser
DARIEN, IL – Oak Brook's police chief is set to speak Thursday about illegal immigration at a Darien fundraiser for a pro-Donald Trump group.
But the village's top official said Wednesday that Chief Brian Strockis was doing so as a private citizen, not as chief.
This week, a group called Behind Enemy Lines has been advertising the Lincoln Trump Dinner at Chuck's South Comforts Café in Darien.
In the group's materials, Strockis is pictured in his uniform and identified as the chief. The group said he would discuss the effects of illegal immigration on the western suburbs.
Strockis did not return a call for comment Wednesday.
In an interview Wednesday, Village Manager Greg Summers said the chief's photo was used without his permission. He said the group has been asked to remove it.
Village employees cannot appear at political events as part of their official capacities, Summers said.
The manager said the chief made it "explicitly clear" to the organizers that he was attending off-duty as a private citizen.
Terry Newsome, a Darien resident who is a co-leader of Behind Enemy Lines, had the photo of the chief taken down from the website shortly after Patch contacted him. As of mid-Wednesday afternoon, though, Strockis was still identified as the chief in the event advertisement.
In a text message, Newsome said he and another organizer were new at this. He said they were not aware of the rules for city workers until Patch's message.
"I apologized to the Chief," Newsome said. "He's not speaking to the group in an official capacity. We certainly didn't intend on creating problems for him."
The materials for the event include profile photos of Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump facing each other. The event promises to help people "learn the rules for defeating radicals" and instructs them to identify "friend and foe."
On its website, Behind Enemy Lines accuses Democratic politicians of wanting to "steal your tax dollars to sexualize your kids" and points out which of the politicians are "grooming the kids."
Thursday's event costs $75 per person and $140 per couple.
