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Brian 'Sully' Sullivan: Chicago council candidate splits Internet by uploading 'gang violence' videos

A Twitter user questioned Brian Sullivan asking, 'are they live-streaming these? If they are how does CPD not see it'

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Brian "Sully" Sullivan, who describes himself as a strong advocate of rational policies to control gun violence, is a candidate for Chicago's 17th police district council elections. Sullivan has been regularly posting videos depicting gang violence, which has left the Internet divides while some find them "sad and upsetting," others are shocked as to how such videos were getting "livestreamed."

The voting for Chicago's police district councils will take place on February 28 as the voters will elect 66 people to serve across the city. According to the Chicago Reader, the candidates from the 17th district are Anthony Michael Tamez, Elizabeth Rochford, Steve Spagnolo, Sullivan and Nick Carusi. City's 22 police districts will be served by three councilors each for a four-year term. The role of these councilors would be to build connections between police and communities, develop community policing initiatives and get community input on CPD policies, while ensuring the citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) hears the community’s concerns.

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Who is Brian 'Sully' Sullivan?

Sullivan, a firefighter, is a candidate for Chicago's 17th district in the elections to police district council. According to his Twitter bio, Sullivan, is a member of IAFF Local 2, which is Chicago's Fire Department Firefighters Union. Sullivan claims to be a "strong advocate for logical and rational policies to stop Chicago’s out of control gun violence."

In his candidate questionnaire response, Sullivan said, "I have been advocating for logical and rational CPD policies to stop Chicago’s mass shootings, gun violence, gang violence, and Chicago-based gun trafficking. I have pointed out how certain CPD policies are not correctly addressing these issues and are actually amplifying them."

Sullivan's response also included him saying, "as the 16th and 17th Districts’ gang conflicts spiral out of control, our request to increase the staffing levels of our dangerously understaffed districts have fallen on deaf ears. As gang violence has increased, our district’s staffing has decreased. If that wasn’t bad enough, specialized units that could have addressed our district’s gang violence, who were staffed with gang specialists, have either been disbanded or had their staffing cut in half. CPD needs to start making policies that follow basic logic."

He also claimed that "violent gangs use social media as a tool to further their criminal enterprises," adding, "Chicago’s violent gangs use social media as a tool to further their criminal enterprises. They also use social media to further gang conflicts. Gang members will drive to a rival gangs neighborhood and post a video holding a gun under a street intersection signs or a landmark. By doing this they are soliciting their rivals to come outside and engage them in a gunfight. Gang members will also post videos of themselves driving around with a gun while making death threats to rivals. This type of real-time intelligence, in the right hands, has the potential to stop mass shootings, and acts of gun violence. Unfortunately, most CPD officers are not allowed to access it."

Sullivan, who regularly posts videos on Twitter depicting gang violence, in one of his tweets wrote, "this was yesterday afternoon in the area of Touhy-Herbert Park. This disturbing video was posted by a self proclaimed gang member. Unfortunately, Cpd’s policies don’t allow the majority of officers to view posts like this. Access to information like this can stop mass shootings." To this, a user responded, "This is so sad & upsetting at the same time for all 17 district. I worry for my parents. Every single day they don’t catch a cross fire."

Sullivan tweeted another video saying "This disturbing video was posted late last evening by a self proclaimed four corner hustler. Towards the end of the video he is threatening to kill members of the Latin brothers gang. It was filmed in the area of Belmont and Cumberland. @DunningWatch #VoteForSully on Feb 28th."

To the aforementioned tweet, a user replied, "Are they live-streaming these? If they are how does CPD not see it and radio to EP and RG to have them waiting on the other side when they come out of these streets to take them down?" However, as a response to one of his tweets another user questioned, "What is the 'CPD’s ultra restrictive social media policy protects Chicago’s violent gun' you speak of? You want CPD patrolling Facebook?"

Sullivan even claimed that a gun offender urged his friends to report Sullivan. "A violent gun offender and self proclaimed member of the 2 feet four corner hustlers is urging his friends to report me. I have a better idea why don’t you stop committing acts of gun violence and stop terrorizing our neighborhoods and our city," read his tweet. A user came in support of Sullivan and wrote, "I don’t get what they’re trying to report you for? They’re the ones posting the videos on their own social media for attention and bragging"

Chicago has strict gun laws, however it is not illegal to own most guns, including handguns. Guns considered to be “assault weapons,” such as certain semi-automatic rifles, and “ghost” guns, which are privately-made firearms without serial numbers, are banned in the city, as reported by the Associated Press News.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.