Protesters have also called for the resignation of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, who has been criticized for taking more than a year to charge Van Dyke.
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Mayor Rahm Emanuel, under heavy criticism for his handling of a police shooting that resulted in the death of a black teen, apologized on Wednesday for problems with the police department and promised reform.
The mayor called for a special City Council meeting starting at 9 a.m. (10 a.m. ET) Wednesday to deliver “a message… regarding the Chicago Police Department”, according to a letter dated Monday to City Clerk Susana Mendoza.
The Justice Department announced this week that it will be investigating the use of force by Chicago’s police department, looking for a pattern of unconstitutional or discriminatory behavior.
After this morning’s speech, some of the aldermen talked about how genuine Emanuel seemed while owning up to his role in these city-wide issues and McDonald’s death. Days of protests and marches followed, including one on the busiest shopping day of the year that partially shut down the city’s most famous shopping district, Michigan Avenue.
Cmdr. Glenn Evans, one of the department’s most high-profile commanders, went on trial Tuesday over accusations he shoved a gun down a suspect’s throat and pressed a stun gun to his groin.
The video also highlighted inconsistencies with police reports from the incident.
Ford tells Chicago’s WBBM-TV that people have lost confidence in Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
“A visit from the Attorney General to meet with key stakeholders and constituents will signal to Chicagoans that the Department of Justice is making progress”, Kelly said in a statement obtained by The Hill. He said a new chief will be found to replace Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who was sacked last week, and officers will get new training. Gettleman gave the city two weeks to respond to the motion arguing why the video shouldn’t be released; he also gave plaintiffs an extra two weeks to file a reply.
Before protesters weaved through downtown, retired schoolteacher Audrey Davis held a sign that read, “Mayor Emanuel is morally corrupt!” Many protesters believe Emanuel may have helped cover up the shooting of McDonald, and would not have been reelected in April 2015 if the video of McDonald’s shooting had been made public.
In perhaps the most moving part of his speech, and the closest he comes to naming the double-standard in how youth of color are treated by Chicago police officers as compared to young white people, Emanuel described a recent conversation between himself and a young man with a criminal record, whose race he didn’t mention. The city resisted releasing dashcam video showing the shooting until late last month, then did so the same day Van Dyke was charged with murder.
There are rallies and protests planned for later today and tomorrow, December 10.
Some protesters have called for the mayor to resign, something he has said we won’t do.
“You don’t earn trust back with one speech”, Axelrod said. “We need an honest reckoning of what went wrong, not just in this instance, but over decades”.
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The proposal would allow a recall election to be initiated by a petition with signatures totaling at least 15 percent of the total votes cast in the previous mayoral election, with at least 50 signatures from each Chicago ward.
