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. Two black state representatives have introduced a bill that would allow the mayor to be recalled. The city suppressed the dash-cam video for 13 months until a judge ordered its release.
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The family of Laquan McDonald will speak publicly for the first time Friday morning at 11:15. Family members are also expected to demand more change from inside the Chicago Police Department and call for city, state and federal resources to be invested into the West Side community of Lawndale to benefit struggling residents.
And U.S. Senate candidate Andrea Zopp echoed Rush’s suggestion to replace Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez with a special prosecutor in the case stemming from 17-year-old Laquan McDonald’s killing in 2014. The timing of that payment so shortly after Emanuel’s job was secure again has raised suspicions that City Hall knew more about the gap between police officials’ story and the video evidence during the campaign.
Laquan McDonald was shot in October 2014 by police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is charged with first-degree murder. Acting on a judge’s order, the city released it, with the county’s top public prosecutor announcing charges against the officer hours before.
About 80 people carrying banners and signs were marching around Chicago’s City Hall on Friday afternoon. The video shows six officers – several of whom appear to be black – entering Coleman’s cell.
“Because what we’re feeling in Chicago is the real feeling of america in itself and that is injustice toward people of color”.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Charles Ramsey, who is from Chicago, today said Mr. Emanuel shouldn’t resign because of one incident, citing the fact that voters just re-hired him and if they were truly unhappy, that should’ve been reflected in the voter turnout. He told reporters Friday that the McDonald case is but one of many in which African-Americans have been mistreated by Chicago police.
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Since the release of the video of Laquan [Mcdonald], the protests have been taking place not only weekly, but daily. He fired the police chief and named a new head of the police review agency that investigates police conduct.
