Chicago protests continue during rush hour

But protests, which have included calls for the mayor’s resignation, have continued and more were expected on Friday.

FILE – In this October 20, 2014 frame from dash-cam video provided by the Chicago Police Department, Laquan McDonald, right, walks down the street moments before being shot by officer Jason Van Dyke in Chicago.

“And change needs to start not just from a local level… but I think change needs to start from the top down”, said Pastor Marvin Hunt, McDonald’s great-uncle, who spoke on behalf of the family during a press conference Friday. “His focus is on the residents of this city and finally and fully addressing the issue of police accountability, which has challenged Chicago for decades”.

Hunter, from the Grace Memorial Baptist Church, called on the president to convene a federal summit in North Lawndale, the Chicago neighborhood where McDonald was from, to address police violence and brutality.

Another protest was planned for evening rush hour downtown.

Michael D. Robbins, center, attorney for the family Laquan McDonald, speaks at a news conference Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, in Chicago.

The city is fighting the release of that video, arguing that it could prejudice would-be jurors if the case goes to trial.

Hunter described McDonald as “a big boy”, but said he was not a “gangster”.

Attorneys for McDonald’s family said days ago that McDonald’s mother did not want the video made public because she was still grieving.

Squad vehicle footage of the shooting was released late last month, and there have been nearly daily protests.

Alvarez has pushed back on her critics, saying her office “conducted a meticulous and thorough investigation to build the strongest possible first-degree murder case against Officer Van Dyke”.

An attorney for the family of a black teenager killed by a Chicago police officer says they agreed not to release video of the shooting unless the officer wasn’t charged. Emanuel apologized this week that the incident occurred under him administration. The newly named head of the city’s Independent Police Review Authority, Sharon Fairley, said the inspector general’s involvement was important for “public confidence”.

“When he saw you he greeted you with a hug”, Hunter said. The Chicago Police Board, a group of citizens appointed by the mayor, is taking applications through January 15.