Emanuel addressed the City Council at the same time a federal judge weighed whether to release yet another video purportedly showing the deadly shooting of a teenager at the hands of police.
Advertisement
Representative La Shawn Ford, a Chicago member of the IL legislature’s black caucus, filed a bill in Springfield on Wednesday to allow voters to recall Emanuel. The video of the teen being shot led to the forced resignation of the city’s police chief and multiple investigations, including one from the U.S. Justice Department.
Emanuel spoke of black residents’ mistrust of Chicago police, saying it’s unacceptable that some officers treat black people – particularly young men – differently than they do whites, and that there are parents in Chicago who feel they must warn their children to be wary of officers.
Protesters streamed through downtown, stopping briefly in front of City Hall, the Chicago Board of Trade and at Congress Parkway near Interstate 290, snarling traffic and causing some bus delays. Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder.
“The mayor says the city now needs to begin the process of healing and restoring trust and confidence in the police department….” The arrogance of him just walking past as if we’re insignificant. Amid calls for Emanuel and the Cook County State’s Attorney to resign, protesters clarified that police brutality isn’t their only concern.
On Thursday, a 5 p.m. rally is planned by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression. A court order was needed to release the police dash-cam video that showed the shooting. The 13-month gap from the incident until the charge and video release was too long for some, who accused police and Emanuel of a cover-up.
CHICAGO IS FACING a defining moment on the issues of crime and policing and the even larger issues of truth and justice. Past year the CPD ended their internal investigation clearing the guards of any wrongdoing, and were supported by the Chicago Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA).
But Emanuel’s apology did little to quell the protesters’ rage.
The march followed Emanuel’s special address to the City Council in the morning, during which he apologized for systemic police misconduct brought to national attention more than two weeks ago when charges were brought against a Chicago police officer who fatally shot a teenager in October 2014. But interim police superintendent John Escalante said Monday that the matter is under investigation and that the department would be “doing our own review of our policies and practices surrounding the response to mental health crises”. Like some of the city’s other black elected officials, Rush, who has been involved in protesting the police department’s handling of the McDonald case, has a bit of a personal stake in Emanuel’s survival. Protesters are critical of Emanuel, saying his office tried to keep details about the death from the public and only took action after the release of a video of the death caused a scandal.
Shoppers along State Street shopping district pass by protestors blocking and intersection on December 9, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.
Advertisement
Another alderman, Leslie Hairston, who is black, said she was particularly struck by the mayor’s talk of unequal treatment because she was initially denied entrance to the council chamber Wednesday, while white colleagues went straight through without showing ID.
