Chicago Mayor Fires City Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy

Emanuel announced the dismissal of Superintendent Garry McCarthy, whose departure on Tuesday came just a week after the video was released.

Chicago Mayor fired Raum Emmanuel fired McCarthy on Tuesday, a week after the release of a dash-cam video that showed a white officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times.

The BGA’s attorney Matt Topic also represents, in his private practice, the freelance journalist who successfully sued for the release of the shocking video.

I also talked about the unanswered questions surrounding the shooting and delayed release of the video on Watchdog Wednesday, the BGA’s regular WBBM Newsradio segment. The BGA could not agree more. He said the creation of the task force was meant to rebuild trust in the police department of one of the country’s largest cities.

“I formally asked for Superintendent McCarthy’s resignation”, Emanuel said.

In October, Black Youth Project 100 (BYP 100) led a massive effort to hold the Chicago police accountable for their violent practices, severely embarrassing McCarthy on an worldwide stage, as BYP 100 and allied organizations surrounded the global Association of Chiefs of Police conference with street blockades. “We will bring our own findings and recommendations to this task force to ensure that Chicago police meet their obligations under global human rights standards that make it clear that lethal force should only be used as a last resort”.

McCarthy was not at the news conference, and so far has not responded to voice mails or text messages seeking comment.

“How am I? I’m a little busy and a little bit stressed out, but staying the course”, McCarthy said when asked how he was doing by WGN-AM 720’s Steve Cochran. Police said Johnson had a gun and turned toward officers before being shot, but Oppenheimer and Johnson’s mother said a yet-to-be released video did not support that description. Van Dyke opens fire on McDonald who is spun completely around from the force of at least one shot before he falls and lies motionless in the middle of the street. This news comes on the heels of massive protests and public outcry about the city’s attempt to cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald – a murder that has now resulted in first-degree murder charges against the officer involved. On Friday, activists blocked Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, preventing access to the street’s many Black Friday sales.

“When the people that you are trying to work with have basically taken the attitude that they will not work with the current power structure, you can dig your heals in, or you can try and move forward towards a solution”, O’Connor said.

“By withholding evidence in a murder case, Anita Alvarez and Rahm Emanuel are both complicit in conspiring to cover up the murder execution of Laquan McDonald”, said local Black Lives Matter organizer Aislinn Sol.

Protesters demanded McCarthy’s resignation citing concerns about rising homicides in the city. “The trust in McCarthy probably was gone before this”, she said.

A 21-year-old University of IL at Chicago student, Jabari Dean, was charged with making the threat and is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Chicago federal court.

The city has been on tenterhooks amid protests that followed last week’s release of video showing the officer shooting the teen 16 times.