Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Chicago and staged “die-ins” on Thursday, calling for the resignation of Emanuel a day after he emotionally apologized for the police shooting of McDonald.
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Demonstrators block downtown access to freeways on December 9, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. Yet, the dash cam video that was released in November of this year contradicts what was filed in the police report on the incident.
An attorney for McDonald’s family said they, too, did not want the video made public, explaining that they were still grieving.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Hunter also thanked those who have been demanding justice for McDonald during daily protests in Chicago.
However, if NBC Chicago’s reporting has indeed uncovered the first evidence that Emanuel’s office was aware that the story his police department was pushing was dishonest, the news will bolster calls for the mayor’s resignation. Acting on a judge’s order, the city released it, with the county’s top public prosecutor announcing charges against the officer hours before. McDonald was shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke in October of 2014.
The city had refused to release the video to a journalist, saying doing so could affect an ongoing investigation into the shooting.
Most black voters in Chicago also disapprove of the embattled mayor by 53 percent, while 56 percent of white voters in the city said they disapprove of his job performance.
“Today, I own it. I take responsibility for what happened because it happened on my watch”, Emanuel said.
The Rev. Marvin Hunter (left), Laquan McDonald’s great-uncle, said: “What we’re feeling in Chicago is the real feeling of America itself, and that’s injustice against people of color”, during a news conference. A week later, the city took the unusual step of approving a $5 million payment to McDonald’s family even though his survivors had not then filed a lawsuit.
Several religious leaders, who demanded greater transparency with events involving the cops, said they want to collect petition signatures to help pressure the mayor’s ouster.
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While a police review board found the officers’ actions justified, Emanuel said Monday that he didn’t see how the treatment of Coleman “could possibly be acceptable”. Prosecutors charged Van Dyke with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
