Chicago religious leaders urge vote of no confidence for mayor

Mr. McDonald’s great uncle, Pastor Marvin Hunter of Grace Memorial Church in North Lawndale, last week at a press conference inside the place of worship where the deceased was laid to rest said that change was needed at the federal level, suggesting that the teen’s murder was a result of a longstanding, real and often ignored nationwide problem: racism.

The family spoke out more than two weeks after the court-ordered release of dash-cam video showing Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old McDonald 16 times in the middle of Pulaski Road.

The retired-neurosurgeon, however, would not comment of whether Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel should step down, saying he “thinks that’s a decision for the people here in Chicago”. He told reporters Friday that the McDonald case is but one of many in which African-Americans have been mistreated by Chicago police.

Ms. Lynch said she hoped that the investigation would not only examine whether practices in Chicago violated constitutional practices, but also deter abuses elsewhere. McDonald was shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke in October of 2014.

Hunter is the great-uncle of McDonald.

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 on Friday.

Carson said he has seen the video and condemned the delayed timing of the release of the video, claiming that it was “hidden” from the public for “political reasons”. But on December 11, one of their attorneys, Jeffrey Neslund, said the city understood that if Van Dyke was not charged that he and attorney Michael Robbins would release the video that they had obtained as part of their legal work for the family.

For days, hundreds of protesters have shut down the streets of Chicago to rally for the resignations of Emanuel and Alvarez in response to the shooting video.

Most black voters in Chicago also disapprove of the embattled mayor by 53 percent, while 56 percent of white voters in the city said they disapprove of his job performance. Officers said they believed he was reaching for a gun.

“We need to change a corrupt culture”, he said.

The march was one of the largest in Chicago since the release of the video.

Alvarez has defended her office, calling it a complex investigation.

But indignation has mounted over the McDonald shooting and police misconduct overall. Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is our guest this week on Newsviews.