‘Black Christmas’ march demands resignation of Chicago mayor

Recordings of Chicago police radio traffic surrounding the shooting of a black teenager 16 times by a white officer show that at least one of the officers who was there asked for a Taser and offer a partial glimpse at what they were discussing. There were apparently no injuries.

Sole said one of the reasons for the airport demonstration was “to highlight that many of our Muslim brothers and sisters” don’t get the same treatment as other travelers.

Police dashcam video released last month shows Officer Jason Van Dyke repeatedly shooting McDonald, but the recording had no audio. A federal civil rights investigation of the city’s police department is underway.

Chicago police lined up to protect the entrance to the Apple store on the Magnificent Mile, a commercial stretch of in the city centre.

Employees continue to serve customers at the Apple Store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, under the watchful eye of a police officer, as protesters gather outside calling for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, in Chicago. Police on bikes slipped behind the protesters to secure the store’s entrance.

Police gun down an average of 17 people every year, according to Reuters news agency.

More than 50 protesters took part in Thursday’s protest on Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile, where stores were doing a brisk business catering to last-minute Christmas shoppers.

Van Dyke, 37, has been charged with murder and is out on bail pending formal arraignment December 29.

The crowd, surrounded by police on bicycles, stepped off the Michigan Avenue bridge shortly after noon and laid down in the street chanting, “Laquan McDonald on the ground, this is why we lay down”. Protesters say Clark, who was unarmed, was wearing handcuffs when he was shot; the Police Department denies the allegation.

Retailers say their Black Friday sales were significantly affected by those protests, David reports.

Many carried placards that read, “Rahm Resign”, referring to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and one demonstrator walked shops holding a sign that read, “Shopping for a New Mayor”.

Van Dyke was indicted on six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct.

Rabiah Muhammad, a second-generation Chicagoan, came downtown for a doctor’s appointment but stopped to watch the protests.

One activist, Pete White, said the demonstration was motivated in part by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s recent decision not to charge a California Highway Patrol officer who repeatedly punched a woman, Marlene Pinnock, along the Harbor Freeway. Mayor Emanuel says the cameras will help “build trust” in the police.