{"id":21512,"date":"2015-11-26T11:14:13","date_gmt":"2015-11-26T17:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=21512"},"modified":"2015-11-27T15:36:45","modified_gmt":"2015-11-27T21:36:45","slug":"activists-pressure-city-officials-as-london-is-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/activists-pressure-city-officials-as-london-is-released\/","title":{"rendered":"Activists pressure city officials as London is released"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Aryn Braun, Thomas Vogel and Bian Elkhatib<\/strong>
\nVideo by Emiliana Molina and Brooke Rayford<\/strong><\/p>\n

Activist groups gathered at City Hall Wednesday to galvanize support for coming weekend protests. They criticized City Council\u2019s Black Caucus<\/a>, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State\u2019s Attorney Anita Alvarez for failing to respond effectively to the death of Laquan McDonald.<\/p>\n

Representatives from several organizations including One Chicago, the Stop Mass Incarceration Network<\/a> and The Revolution Club of Chicago<\/a> assembled outside the Mayor\u2019s fifth floor offices intending to speak with city officials, though no meeting occurred. Several parents of shooting victims were also present. <\/p>\n

Mark Carter, acting as a spokesman for the group, demanded city officials assign a special prosecutor to handle Jason Van Dyke\u2019s criminal case, meet with President Barack Obama to discuss racial tension and emphasis community-building in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\n

Protest events Wednesday<\/h1>\n

10 a.m. – Black Caucus press conference at City Hall<\/p>\n

12 p.m. – Protesters gather outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel\u2019s office and demand social change and new leadership<\/p>\n

1:30 p.m. – Organizer Malcolm London\u2019s Bond hearing at 26th and California. All charges were dropped and protests ensued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThese elected officials, they will not have a smooth ride in their next elections,\u201d said Carter. \u201cWe will unseat every single politician in this city until we get results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter was also present at a 10 a.m. press conference at City Hall, called by the City Council\u2019s Black Caucus.<\/p>\n

Roderick Sawyer<\/a>, 6th Ward Alderman and chairman of the Black Caucus, reiterated the caucus\u2019 call<\/a> for the resignation of Police Chief Garry McCarthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis time has come. We need to have new leadership at the top,\u201d Sawyer said. \u201cThis tape, as horrific as it is, I\u2019m hoping it will be a catalyst for change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/a>
Members of the City Council Black Caucus meet with media on Wednesday to demand action related to the Laquan McDonald shooting. (Thomas Vogel\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>Sawyer also maintained his support for continued demonstrations but stressed that the protests must remain peaceful.<\/p>\n

During the press conference Carter held an iPad displaying graphic autopsy photos of Laquan McDonald. He claimed the aldermen had seen the dash-cam video before signing off on a $5 million settlement with the family of Laquan McDonald.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted to make the people think they fought for this child.\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n

When asked, Carter refused to reveal where he obtained the photos.<\/p>\n

Protesters rally at Mayor\u2019s office<\/h1>\n

Later at City Hall, activists echoed the caucus\u2019 call for a leadership change, but condemned the aldermen for only expressing support once it was politically beneficial. Fed up with the status quo, demonstrators threatened more protests<\/a> if their demands aren\u2019t met.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking 30 days of action, and the place we\u2019re starting is the Magnificent Mile, the Chicago Board of Trade,\u201d said Carter.<\/p>\n

\"Mark<\/a>
Mark Carter, an organizer with One Chicago, leads protesters in a demonstration outside the Mayor’s office at City Hall Wednesday afternoon.
\n(Raquel Zaldivar\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>Many protesters were impassioned, invoking personal experience to express their dissatisfaction with the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are already black, that gives us an X on our back. Then we\u2019re young black men, that\u2019s two. And then we stand up for our rights, that\u2019s the third one,\u201d said Quovaeis Green, one of the demonstrators at City Hall.<\/p>\n