While the protests on Black Friday in Chicago began relatively peacefully, earlier protests in Chicago did feature demonstrators tearing down lights on the city’s Christmas tree.
Advertisement
Led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush and other black leaders, protesters flowed over the elegant thoroughfare, also called Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, which leads to the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood.
“We want the whole world to see our pain and share our crisis”. The protesters, many holding umbrellas and plastic-wrapped signs, took to the streets in the steady rain instead.
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel is facing mounting criticism from activists and allies of the black community who say he should be held accountable for delaying justice in the case of Laquan McDonald, a teenager who died 13 months ago after being shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer.
He said his organization, the Chicago Alliance Against Racism and Political Oppression, is pushing for an elected, civilian police accountability council.
Regarding the 400-day delay in releasing the video of McDonald’s shootings, Jackson wrote on his group’s website that city officials “sat on the tape for more than a year, buried the killing in an unending investigation, gave the officer a pass, and got through the elections”. Yet the video and various actions taken before and after the shooting point to systemic and institutional problems that extend far beyond one allegedly trigger-happy cop.
Some of the hundreds of demonstrators tried to block entrances of stores, while police formed human barriers in front of other locations, according to NBC Chicago. A police spokesman said three people were arrested, two traffic-related and a third related to a battery. Van Dyke was charged this week with first degree murder over the 17-year-old’s death as footage of the 2014 killing was released by officials.
He says despite people screaming in their faces, getting hit with spittle and thrown objects, officers are acting in a professional manner.
They are calling for the resignation of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and for a special prosecutor to handle the case.
McDonald’s death has also been likened to that of Michael Brown – the black teenager also shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August a year ago.
CTU President Karen Lewis issued a statement urging members to express their “outrage and dignity” by participating in Friday’s march. After chatting with officers on the scene, Camden described the very 1st cops officers account of why Officer Jason Van Dyke fired the fatal shots putting LaQuan McDonald.
“We’re going to hold down these doors so nobody can buy anything, so nobody makes money until people understand how bad this is, how this is affecting Chicago”, Vazquez told AFP as she stood outside Cole Haan.
“We have watched in anger and disappointment as the city has covered up police violence”, said teachers union Vice President Jesse Sharkey.
As of this writing, the protests in Chicago have been relatively peaceful.
Advertisement
ABC 7 News reported that on that day, Van Dyke and his partner were at a convenience store parking lot when a call came in and they responded to a situation about a man wielding a knife. McDonald spun around and fell to the pavement as Van Dyke kept shooting.
