Chicago City Wire

Stacy Davis Gates, the President of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), has been accused of advising union members at Stevenson Elementary School to "punch their principal in the face." The allegation was denied by CTU.

Gates is quoted as saying, "In talking to my Stevenson brothers and sisters, I told them they should punch their principal in the face," during a union meeting. 

WTTW-TV reported that Stevenson Elementary Principal William Hozian filed a police report to document Davis Gates' "concerning" comments. Two witnesses provided statements to police about the CTU president's statement made at a union meeting. No criminal charges were filed.

In response to these allegations, unidentified CTU spokesmen took to social media. They claimed that Gates' comment about "punching" was figurative and not literal. They also labeled WTTW's story as a "media provocation," accusing it of intentionally mischaracterizing Gates' impromptu comments.

According to one post on social media platform X, "We believe that this police report was filed in reference to a figurative comment made by President Davis Gates during impromptu remarks to union members at CTU’s union hall in January while talking about using the contract to challenge principals who bully our members."

The post further explained that a metaphor about 'punching' back was used when discussing how rank and file members could utilize the power of their contract to push back against bullying and those who attack progress toward equitable neighborhood schools throughout Chicago.

Furthermore, CTU's social media posts urged its members to brace themselves for potential workplace bullying and harassment during upcoming contract negotiations. As per CTU officials on platform X, "We know management is already nervous about our collective power and we will need to express it wholly to win the best CPS agreement in history."