The video released Tuesday shows McDonald jogging down a street and then veering away from Van Dyke and another officer who emerge from a police SUV drawing their guns.
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“There were 2,000 to 3,000 people involved in the protest [on Michigan Avenue in the heart of Chicago’s shopping district]”, Chapman said on Friday.
Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder this week by Alvarez.
Van Dyke’s lawyer said he will show in court that the shooting was justified.
The entrances to stores -trying to attract shoppers on Black Friday- blocked by the crowd.
The release of a video showing the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald has set off days of largely peaceful protests.
“The protesters did take over the street for sometime today blocking stores but it seems to have been a safe experience thus far”, said John Curran, a vice-president of marketing for The Magnificent Mile Association. After being closed for a time during the protest, The Gap reopened and a DJ led shoppers in the “Cha-Cha Slide” as the chanting for justice for McDonald continued outside.
Business is back to normal on Michigan Avenue in Chicago but this thing may not be over. They also demanded a federal investigation into the Chicago Police Department. Organizers from different groups called protesters to gather at three different locations between Pioneer Court and Water Tower along “Magnificent Mile”, ABC News station WLS in Chicago reported. A Chicago native who is working on a long-term project documenting victims of the torture program, Rivkin said that, beyond the reparations to victims, too few resources have gone toward seeking real justice, in part because the city can not find the money to cover it. “The activists have won major battles”, she said.
Witnesses to the shooting told Jamie Kalven, an independent journalist and human rights activist whose nonprofit called the Invisible Institute filed a FOIA request to have the dashcam video released, that police tried to shoo witnesses away from the scene after the shooting instead of collecting names and other information. He noted there’s a lot of energy in the aftermath of the video being released but wondered whether protesters will be able to maintain their momentum. Those marchers also said the casket was in memory of Tyshawn Lee, 9, who was shot and killed execution-style by gang members; his death has not garnered the same level of protests as McDonald’s. The police have allowed protesters to march in the middle of the street and even hold rallies in the middle of intersections, and on Thursday the department said it would handle Friday’s march much the same way.
McDonald was a 17-year-old black male who was shot 16 times by uniformed Chicago Police officers in the fall of 2014. Father Pfleger is calling for the resignation of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The FOP’s support for Van Dyke appears to have support within the union, according to email and phone interviews Reuters conducted with a number of white and black active-duty and retired cops, as well as union and black police association officials.
In defense, Van Dyke explained that he shot McDonald because he feared for his life.
“Our caucus has vowed to work with other caucuses and other of our colleagues to review the FOP contract to make sure there are tougher policies and sanctions against police officers who do egregious or illegal acts”, said Alderman Pat Dowell.
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Chicago police blocked off roads to accommodate the march down Michigan Avenue, and officers in some areas formed a barrier of sorts between protesters and stores and helped shoppers get through the doors.
