6th Ward: Ald. Sawyer Campaigner Wanted For Stealing Credentials

Officials have alerted 6th Ward election judges to call 911 if they spot a man associated with Ald. Roderick Sawyer's re-election campaign who allegedly stole poll-watchers credentials from a polling place Tuesday afternoon, Chicago Board of Elections spokesman James Allen said.

Earlier in the day, Deborah Foster Bonner's campaign manager filed a complaint with the election board accusing Sawyer campaign field director Johnny Brown, who also goes by J.B., of punching him.

Allen said officials also are investigating the assault allegations.

Foster Bonner's son and campaign manager, Malcom Bonner, said, he got calls "saying that J.B. was going around trying to pay off my people and intimidating them. I expected him to pay them off so that didn't bother me that much. But I kept getting calls that my poll watchers are now scared."

Malcom Bonner said things got ugly when he started to video Brown talking with a Foster Bonner campaign volunteer.

"I hopped out of my car and started filming. I asked him, 'Why you intimidating my people?' and he said, 'Because I want to.'

The man identified as Brown can be seen in the video marching toward Malcom Bonner saying, "Get that f------ camera out my face."

"I said, 'What you gonna do," Malcom Bonner said. "I thought he was going to hit the camera out of my face but he punched me."

Malcom Bonner said he thought Sawyer's camp was trying to tamper with the election.

With 68-percent of precincts reporting, Sawyer was leading Foster Bonner with 53 percent of the vote, according to unofficial totals at 8 p.m.

"I believe 1000-percent that the alderman is trying to use his position as [6th Ward Democratic] committeeman to influence the election. And straight-up intimidating poll-watchers," Malcom Bonner said.

Sawyer's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Last week, Patch reporter Foster Bonner volunteer Marlon Watson and his nephew Jaiden Watson video tapped a Sawyer campaign worker stealing campaign signs and yelling slurs.