Protestors Take To Streets Demanding Mayor's Resignation
The City of Chicago is in an unprecedented time in it's history.
Yet again, protestors have taken to the city's streets to call for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the wake of the release of video showing Chicago Police Department officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times before trying to reload his weapon.
Since the tape's release, Emanuel has fired police superintendent Garry McCarthy and yesterday Chief of Detectives Constantine "Dean" Andrews stepped down from his position. The protests that have been a constant here through the first weeks of December have called for the resignation of Emanuel and State's Attorney Anita Alvarez have intensified in the wake of yet another video released Monday showing another CPD officer shooting 25-year-old Ronal Johnson in the back as he fled from police. This all comes as even more videos are being prepared to be released and as calls for serious change in the police department have reached a fever pitch.
Monday, Rev. Jesse Jackson marched through the streets and today a group of several hundred protestors have flooded the downtown area of the the city after Rahm Emanuel gave a speech this morning apologizing for his handling of the McDonald case and calling for further changes to the force.
The group chanted "Whose city? Our city," "Who's got to go? Rahm's got to go," and "No more killer cops."
Reports on the ground have said that today's march began at Daley Plaza and worked it's way up Dearborn before organizers attempted to enter the Board of Trade. The march was organized as a 'Walkout from the City' with a Facebook group with over 1800 users saying they were attending the march.
Courtesy of NBC: "The first of Wednesday's protests, by a group called the Coalition for a New Chicago, gathered inside City Hall at 8 a.m. Emanuel apologized during a special city council session held at 9 a.m. to address the ongoing crisis his administration is facing. Less than an hour later, a group of Christian clergy plans to gather at an entrance to the building. Two other demonstrations are planned, at City Hall and in a nearby plaza. On Thursday, a 5 p.m. rally is planned by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression."
