Pressure Mounts on Embattled Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Protesters in the USA city of Chicago continue to call for justice for an African-American teenager shot 16 times by a white police officer a year ago, demanding the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel has recently taken steps to reform the police department, including setting up a task force to review accountability and firing the police superintendent.

The current watchdog agency’s members are appointed by Emanuel.

“I hold Anita Alvarez accountable”, McDonald’s great uncle, Pastor Marvin Hunter, said surrounded by relatives during a Friday news conference at Grace Memorial Baptist Church.

Seventeen-year-old Cedrick Chatman was killed in January 2013 by police during an investigation into his suspected involvement in a vehicle theft.

In Chicago, that commonality is not only evident through media reports and statistics, but it is the true cause of why thousands of Chicagoans filled the streets in the name of Mr. McDonald with various forms of protest following the release of a video showing the fatal October shooting.

Dailide added that only time will tell how involved the mayor was in any cover-ups concerning the McDonald shooting, but feels that as “messy” as the situation is Emanuel is doing everything he can to fix things.

Many residents, already suspicious that the circumstances of the shooting had been covered up by police, grew even more skeptical when the city released other squad vehicle dashcam videos from the scene that, like the first, lacked audio. But the gun turned out to be a smart-phone box.

Chicago officials fought the release of the video, arguing it could interfere with any resulting court case. Bishops Larry Trotter, Travis Grant and James Dukes also voiced support for a state lawmaker’s proposal to allow for a recall process to force the mayor from office. Demonstrators have questioned why it took months to release the video and charge Officer Jason Van Dyke with murder.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Hunter also thanked those who have been demanding justice for McDonald during daily protests in Chicago.

Eighty-three percent of voters in the city’s 43rd ward, which includes Lincoln Park and the Lakeview neighborhood, voted for Emanuel in the last election, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. Alvarez blamed the delay on the complexities of investigating a police shooting. Emanuel apologized this week that the incident occurred under him administration. Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is our guest this week on Newsviews.