Protests return to streets as Emanuel tries to turn corner

Just as it had in McDonald’s shooting, the city had argued in court filings since the shooting 14 months ago that releasing the video would inflame the public and jeopardize the officer’s right to a fair trial if he was charged, court records show. Some group members described instances that sounded much like the shooting of Laquan McDonald – young men shot when they did not appear to pose any danger to police. He also noted a 2012 Chicago Police Department warning about a weapon that was a knife but was capable of firing a bullet, hence making it firearm, according to the reports.

Among the speakers were Ja’Mal Green, 20, and Lamon Reccord, 16, who thanked all the protesters who have participated in the numerous demonstrations over the past couple of weeks and encouraged them to continue their action.

At a special meeting of the Chicago City Council Wednesday, the mayor said, “I take responsibility for what happened because it happened on my watch”.

If Obama was left stifled after Ferguson and Baltimore, unable to demand greater accountability from those cities’ leaders while investigations unfolded, he seems buffered this time around from uncomfortable questions about his former top aide’s handling of police brutality – a crisis that’s led to the shakiest moment of Emanuel’s decades-long career. They also called for Cook County’s State Attorney, Anita Alvarez, to step down.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says it’s an unacceptable that there are parents in Chicago who feel they must warn their children to be wary of police officers.

Davis, who is black, said she fears for her 25-year-old grandson when he comes home from college.

Washington Post: Some Emanuel critics and supporters may have thought his speech was genuine and heartfelt but the reaction on the streets was very different and sparked a major protest.

Axelrod said Emanuel worked on the speech all weekend, with input from him and others.

As the U.S. Department of Justice moved to launch a civil-rights investigation of the Police Department this week, aldermen called on the probe to be expanded to the Emanuel administration, while seeking a formal hearing into “what they knew and when”.

“There’s been a cover-up in Chicago”, the New York Times editorialized late last month, laying out the ways in which Emanuel and his government fought to keep the video out of public view – and didn’t finalize a settlement with the victim’s family – until after his April re-election.

A recent poll which showed 51 percent of voters say the mayor should step down is indicative of his sinking popularity, but ThinkProgress said Emanuel refuses to step down.

The trial occurred amid intense scrutiny of police after the city released a video showing a white officer fatally shoot a black teen.

Mayor Emanuel’s full speech can be found online here. Emanuel called for “nothing less than complete and total reform of the system”.

Alvarez has defended her office, calling it a complex investigation. She called Hernandez’s use of deadly force “reasonable and permissible”, citing that Johnson was running toward a police vehicle and a public park on the South Side.

Another problem: Crossing the police, for any mayor at any time, is risky. With that case pending, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang granted a request by the city for a protective order barring the release of the footage and other sensitive information, records show. Several well-connected Chicagoans, including musician David Beltran, asked Brown to help administer the page and promote the protest, the Chicago Reader reported.