Any telling of the night celebrated around the world as America’s maturing on matters of race –the election of the nation’s first black president - would not be complete without exploring the ugly traditions of a checkered past. As the Illinois senator ascended to the highest office in the United States, a family on Chicago’s west end allegedly met the business end of racial hatred enshrined by law. The family is suing the Chicago police department.

Niger Arnold claims that as her neighbors celebrated Obama’s election in the streets, police fired pepper spray into the crowd. As she and her family scrambled indoors, five white officers burst into her home with guns drawn. She claims that no reason for the forcible intrusion was given, and instead the officers cursed at her, and made racist remarks.

“If you can’t trust the police, who can you trust?” asked Arnold.

Her attorney, Gregory Kulis, is seeking video tape from a nearby police street camera, and says the suit is one of two he’s filed related to election night violence. The Chicago PD has referred the complaint to an independent review panel.