An attorney for the South Bend Common Council told The Young Turks he may subpoena witnesses — possibly including Mayor Pete Buttigieg — starting as early as next week, to testify about police issues including Buttigieg's demotion of Darryl Boykins, the city's first black police chief.
Buttigieg demoted Boykins and fired civilian police staffer Karen DePaepe in 2012 for their handling of recorded police phone calls, some of which DePaepe transferred to cassette tapes. The tapes have been one of South Bend's biggest mysteries and controversies ever since.
The Council has for years pursued a lawsuit to force the tapes' release. TYT
reported last month that, in city legal documents, DePaepe describes white police officers on the tapes discussing using Buttigieg's 2011 campaign donors to get him to remove Boykins. The donors told TYT they deny knowledge of any such plan.
DePaepe also wrote that officers spoke in ebonics and said, "It's going to be a fun time when all white people are in charge."
