Family of teen shot by Chicago cop joins calls for change

Anger over the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer has led to days of protests.

Ineffective policing is a systemic issue that involves not only rank and file officers but everyone in the department up to and including the person or people responsible for hiring the police chief.

McDonald was shot and killed October 20, 2014, by Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke.

Neslund also wondered why Alvarez, who ultimately charged Van Dyke more than a year after McDonald’s death, has been criticized while federal prosecutors have largely avoided reproach.

The family has stayed largely out of the spotlight since the video was released November 24, but about a dozen of them stood behind Hunter.

But outrage has mounted over the shooting and police misconduct overall. We can not sweep it under the rug. Nor can we trust Anita Alvarez to prosecute herself.

On Tuesday, the new head of the review board said she was reopening the investigation into Coleman’s case.

Chicago police spokesman Thomas Sweeney says he hasn’t been notified of any arrests related to the protests as of Friday evening.

The U.S. Justice Department announced last week it would investigate the Chicago Police Department to determine whether Chicago police have made a habit of violating the law or the U.S. Constitution in their use of force, particularly deadly force. Since then, there have been nearly daily protests in Chicago.

The video, which was released under court order, shows McDonald veering away from Van Dyke when the officer shot him.

Carson said Van Dyke’s history of complaints filed against him “indicate he might have been a bad apple”.

Significant numbers of Caucasians, Asians and Latinos joined the majority Black crowd at the march.

Hunter says the teen always greeted friends and family with a hug and was a “jokester”. “An injustice to one is an injustice to all”.

“We’re here today because there’s a problem in the city of Chicago when an officer who has sworn to serve and protect can gun down a citizen for no other reason than he was black”, added Hunter, who said McDonald was a “big boy, but he was a teddy bear”. “I was involved in all kinds of actions in Baton Rouge [Louisana]”.

“I take responsibility for what happened because it happened on my watch. We have to do it again”. Considering that his apology came after the poll showing his paltry support among those in the Windy City, and only after firing McCarthy and promising reform failed to put out the fire, it looks like a hollow mea culpa. “It is clear to me that the mayor covered this up to help win re-election”.

Police brutality against minorities in the United States has always been a major point of concern, resulting in large-scale demonstrations across the country and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Dash cam video of the incident was not released until 13 months later.

“I’m with a whole load of Chicago units”.