Illinois lawmaker files legislation to remove Emanuel from office immediately

“No officer should be allowed to behave as if they are above the law just because they are responsible for upholding the law”, Emanuel said. “This is not a racial issue, it’s a democracy issue”, she said Thursday. Her white colleagues walked in without having to show ID, said Hairston, whose ward encompasses parts of the South Side, including the University of Chicago. A video of the event released last month shows McDonald moving away from police as they fatally shoot him 16 times in the middle of the road. The elder Coleman said he stood in front of his son so the responding officers wouldn’t shoot him. The FBI’s 2014 statistics showed 411 killings, more than the 333 in NY and 260 in Los Angeles, two cities with larger populations. He also ousted the head of the Independent Police Review Authority, which is tasked with investigating serious allegations of police misconduct.

Despite having pledged more transparency, the city is fighting the release of that footage.

Seth Perlman/AP Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) filed a bill Wednesday to start a recall election for Rahm Emanuel.

Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Chicago and staged “die-ins” on Thursday, calling for the resignation of embattled Mayor Rahm Emanuel a day after he emotionally apologized for the 2014 police shooting of a 17-year-old black teen. If the recall is successful, the current mayor would be forced to step down and temporarily replaced by the vice mayor.

“I take responsibility for not only that but to also fix it”, said Emanuel. And, after all, a focus on Emanuel could distract from the broader goals of finding out what happened and reforming the Chicago Police Department.

Putting it succinctly, the mayor said, “We have a trust problem”. After initially saying that a federal probe of the department would be “misguided” because the U.S. Attorney’s office was already examining the McDonald shooting, Emanuel later said he welcomed such an investigation. The Washington Post reports that during the public-comment section about 300 people took turns denouncing the department.

He says the city and the police, in particular, “have a responsibility to win back the trust”.

But the former White House chief of staff has said repeatedly that he will not step down.

For the next 40 minutes, Emanuel delivered a “genuine” and “heartfelt” speech about police brutality and city violence that seemed “real”, said critics and supporters alike who heard it, according to the Chicago Tribune. Protesters are critical of Emanuel, saying his office tried to keep details about the death from the public and only took action after the release of a video of the death caused a scandal. On Monday, Alvarez, the Cook County state’s attorney, announced no charges would be pursued against the police officers after an independent police review found they acted within policy.

“If we’re also going to begin the healing process, the first step in that journey is my step”, he said.