Laquan McDonald (1997-2014) was a 17-year-old Black American teenager killed by Chicago police on the night of October 20th 2014. His killer, Jason Van Dyke, was White. McDonald was armed with a knife – but was shot in the back.
On that night, McDonald was walking down the middle of the street with a knife. He does not seem to know what is going on. Four police cars show up. McDonald is walking away from the police when one of the officers shoots him. McDonald spins and falls to the ground. For the next 13 seconds the officer keeps shooting. McDonald’s body moves only when struck by bullets. They kick away his knife – and then leave him there like a piece of trash.
He was still alive when the ambulance arrived, but died on the way to the hospital.
The next morning the medical examiner counts 16 bullets, two in the back. They all come from Van Dyke’s gun, which holds – 16 bullets. He was reloading his gun to keep shooting when the other officers stopped him.
Later that afternoon, the city newspapers dutifully repeat the lies of Pat Camden, the head of the police union. He said that McDonald came at the police with a knife, that they shot him in the chest in self-defence:
“When police tell you to drop a weapon, all you have to do is drop it.”
Of the nearby security cameras, only Burger King’s had a clear view of the scene. The police wiped out that video.
And that was it.
But then in April 2015, the family’s lawyer was able to get dashcam video from one of the police cars. This was right during an election. Rahm Emmanuel (pictured), President Obama’s former chief-of-staff, was running for re-election as mayor.
- It was just then that the state’s attorney said she and the FBI would investigate the killing.
- It was just then that the city agreed to settle out of court with the family for $5 million – even though the family had not taken them to court.
Word of the video got out through a city employee. Free-lance reporters took the city to court under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to hand over the video and the autopsy.
The city fought tooth and nail to keep the video secret. Last week, on November 19th 2015, at long last, a judge ruled that they had to make the video public. The judge gave them six days.
On November 24th, one day before the deadline, fearing riots once the video went public, the state’s attorney charged Jason Van Dyke (pictured) with first-degree murder. No grand jury necessary. Van Dyke is the first Chicago police officer charged with murder for an on-duty killing in nearly 35 years.
The mayor then spoke of trust, acted as if Van Dyke was just a bad apple, and made public the video he had hid – for 400 days.
The murder trial is still to come.
Update (March 17th 2016): Thanks largely to protesters, Anita Alvarez, the prosecutor, has been voted out of office! She is also the one who let Dante Servin, the police officer who killed Rekia Boyd, off the hook. More.
Update (October 5th 2018): Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder!!! A lesser charge, but way more than most killer cops ever get. And that was in spite of the fact that only one juror was Black. (Cook County is 25% Black, so there should have been three Black jurors.) He is now in jail and faces 6 to 15 years in prison with a chance of parole.
– Abagond, 2015.
See also:
- The police
- Jeremy Mardis
- Rekia Boyd – also Chicago
- Jamar Clark – Minneapolis
- Sam Dubose – Cincinnati
- Tamir Rice – Cleveland
- Aiyana Jones – Detroit
- Eric Garner – New York
- Oscar Grant – Oakland
- Michael Brown – Ferguson, Missouri
- Freddie Gray – Baltimore
- grand jury
I know this will seem off topic but hear me out. So I was watching the PBS special about the pilgrims and Thanksgiving. It was interesting to see how the treatment of the native people was summed up as a necessary reaction to a potential threat. The Pilgrims had decided that it was right to kill natives as a warning to them. No attack was actually made against the pilgrims, just the claim that an attack was planned. So, my point is, it doesn’t take much, does it?
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Rahm portrayed Van Dyke as just a bad apple.
How does HE explain the city / police cover up?
Sorry, I am not in the USA so I would appreciate a good link.
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“The mayor then spoke of trust, acted as if Van Dyke was just a bad apple, and made public the video he had hid – for 400 days.”
.
I heard with my own ears some AMERIKANS who say African countries are the most corrupt places on Earth.
Compared side by side with the obvious corruption that goes on in the US, African nations are like the Garden of Eden, before its fall from grace! Africans are at least honest and upfront about what OTHERS call “African corruption.” Amerikans rather pretend that they’re the bastion of honesty and morality.
In the US, the common sequence of events are: murder, cover-up, exposure, restitution for wrongful death. Then there’s the measly payout (restitution).
Five million dollars to the system is in reality more like $5,000. It doesn’t hurt the insurance industry or the criminal police injustice system in the slightest.
This little drop in the bucket causes no incentive whatsoever to stop the cycle of murders.
All it does is sanction terrorism and the killing of Black people and enrich lawyers. These people do not wish to stop what they are doing to us.
They have never stopped declaring war on Black people.
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@Fan
African countries had very good leaders who wanted to the whole continent to unite and develop. American, French, British racists couldn’t allow that to happen so they funded coups, assassinated potential good leaders, then propped up corrupt leaders. European countries and America are very corrupt, they are just good at hiding the evil stuff they do.
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[…] Sourced through Scoop.it from: abagond.wordpress.com […]
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99% of citizen complaints lead to zero punishment against the po-po yet the city has paid out a half-billion dollars to families over the last ten years from these complaints?
No wonder Rahm has his panties in a twist over Spike Lee’s ‘Chi-Raq’.
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@Fan
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq0xGBos5Zs)
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here is the complete video.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pvNp9gHjfk)
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@ villagewriter – Excellent Ted talk.
I guess the West is still living under Terra Nullius and as long as it views Africa as being a savage state they have no need to negotiate all they have to do is take.
(And the speaker’s voice…. just calming and sexy.)
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THAT, villagewriter, was very powerful and inspiring! Thank you for sharing this. This video should be required viewing for – everyone!
SHARITY.
COOPERATION.
I wonder if the western world has the ability or interest to grasp such ideas?
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The prosecutor has a terrible reputation. She handled the Rekia Boyd case, charging the killer in such a way that he would easily beat the case. Looks like she did the same here…first degree murder is hard to prove in court (malice aforethought). I think this case will be beaten.
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@Fan
They never want to share.It just “me!me!me!”
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@Uglyblackjohn
They are like predator that eats up all its prey. The French are a good example of that. That’s the reality we have to live with.
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TED?
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That’s like a high tech church, tony robbins, and a little bit of vaudeville all rolled up into one!
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@ Villagewriter
I’m beginning to see where (a bit of) your optimism comes from.
If such progress can be done – without any assistance from The Beast (West) – in just 3 years, imagine what can be accomplished in twenty, forty or 50 years!
The shackles are falling off, despite their best efforts to keep us in chains.
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@villagewriter
Yup. The White Empire has taken it to the next level. Financial colonisation is, often, a lot more effective.
Structrual Adjustment Programs, IMF development loans etc. Financial usury is an excellent way to keep the debtor in check.
African leaders want nothing more than to build a strong Black Africa. African Americans (the Trojan Horse) need to provide them with the knowledge of America’s inner workings.
White Americans and White Europeans have the Transatlantic Economic Council (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Economic_Council)
What do Black Americans and Black Africans have?
I must do more research to find out what efforts are being made.
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@ I Usually Lurk
I agree. If State’s Attorney Alvarez and Mayor Emmanuel were at all serious about it, they would not have waited 400 days. They are going to Plan B: bury it in the courts.
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@Fan
“”The shackles are falling off, despite their best efforts to keep us in chains.”
The predator has eaten so much it has become fat and bloated. This gives us some space to breath and plan our escape from slavery.
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OFF TOPIC: African countries, Game of Empires.
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This is a classic example of how the police are professional liars. Wipe the Burger King video, keep the dash video secret, and lie about the circumstances. I think we will also see how prosecutors can manipulate the system to avoid actually punishing pigs.
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I don’t know why black folks continue to be surprised at issues such as the wrongful murdering Laquan and many, many other. If black folks were to recognize Edomites (white people), for who they truly are, the element of surprise will no longer exist. There is nothing new under the sun.
John 8:44 – You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
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Just chatting about this with some random white guy and the (white guy) bus driver — hey they started it — the driver kinda chuckled over it how he was reloading, and being told to cease fire
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@ v8driver
“… the (white guy) bus driver — hey they started it — the driver kinda chuckled over it how he was reloading, and being told to cease fire”
.
What was *it* – that “they started?”
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The conversation about laquan’s death video that just came out
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Chicago turkey day riots? Idk and milwaukee also
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Its kind of unsettling to me, this whole thing, i mean, seriously.
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How is it different than 1968
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@SomaliPrince
You do realize the majority of not just Chinese but East and South East Asians live in utter poverty. You forget that of the 2.5 billion, the percentage that live in affluent cities (there’s poverty even among city dwellers) is very small compared to rural farming classes that dominate most of East and South East Asia. Do your research.
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Unfortunately the charges are just for show and will not stick in a court of law. At the end of the day Van Dyke will walk a free man.
1st degree murder (aka) premeditated, cold blooded murder, will be impossible to prove in a court of law. Because incidents like this are never premeditated. The cop shows up on scene never seeing this kid before, and makes a split-second decision to murder the kid because he’s black. That’s not premeditated.
The charge should’ve been 2nd degree murder (aka) hot-blooded murder, or manslaughter.
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v8driver,
I thought after I posted the question that may have been *it*.
But I wasn’t sure.
Thanks!
“How is this different than 1968”?
Well for one, the Black church had a much greater leadership role.
Even the NOI had some influence in the race politics of the day.
There were other outside spheres of influence – like the Black Panther Party and a host of other “radicals.”
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The analyst on CNN this morning said that he didn’t see what the cop did as wrong. He also stated that laquan was walking parallel to the police and was within twenty feet of the officers, which made him a viable threat. He gave as an example an incident in Falasha where a terrorist was shot, but still kept advancing on a soldier. He posited that Laquan would have been able to “lunge” (his word) the ten feet at the police. This guys mindset was very disturbing. You can probably view the interview on the CNN website.
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@v8driver
“How is it different than 1968”
In some ways it’s worse. In Birmingham, the mayor at least admitted the actions of his police were racist. Here we have a “liberal” mayor of a supposedly progressive city, covering up racist actions of his police and pretending it’s an isolated incident.
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@ v8driver
The only difference is that it was caught on video. Full stop. End of story. Nothing else. Van Dyke will still get off. ONLY if he spends more than five years in prison can we start to talk about “different”. Otherwise it is the same old, same old with updated technology. Terroristic policing of Black people is as American as apple pie.
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@ Jefe
I do not have any links because I saw the news conferences on television and streaming video.
Mayor Emmanuel said little about it directly, but at an earlier news conference the state’s attorney, Anita Alvarez, talked about it at length.
She said that they could not make the evidence public because it would Jeopardize The Investigation. Nor did she want to Rush To Judgement and make a legal case that would fall apart in court. (Yet her first-degree murder charge seems designed to do just that.)
They do not spend 400 days to decide whether to arrest a gang member who kills someone. She said that is because gangs, unlike the police, do not have policies, training and a use of force model. There are also the Garrity (sp?) standards. I think she means Garrity v New Jersey (1967):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrity_v._New_Jersey
So, even when the police shoot you in the back on video, all of that apparently has to be considered. She says it can take up to like 20 months.
Ari Melber, the legal expert on MSNBC, seemed to think it was all weak sauce.
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@ jefe
Continued:
Yeah, so according to Garrity v New Jersey (1967), public employees have the right to remain silent when questioned by an internal investigation. So if a police officer kills someone, he does not have to say anything while his victim cannot say anything. This seemed to have been a huge sticking point in the Tamir Rice investigation.
I forget the exact numbers, but there have been something like 200 police shootings in Chicago in the past four years. Only two led to charges being brought, this one and the Rekia Boyd shooting. In the Boyd case, the police officer was found not guilty. The idea that the police are right at least 199 times out of 200, or 99.5% of the time, is laughable.
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I do not normally comment, but this reminds me a lot of the Tamir Rice murder. Cops roll up and almost immediately start shooting.
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All these cases of civilians being killed by the American police are outrageous.
Living in a different country, every time I’m informed of just one more similar case I wonder if I got also the big picture right. I’ll put next some questions and the answers to them from you all, maybe can help me understand the context of all this “troubles and tribulations” that an important segment of the American population is going through right now:
1. Abagond has counted 66 Black American unarmed citizens as having been killed by the American police so far this year:
– How complete is this count? Can we assume that this number is approximately close to the real number of unarmed Black American citizens that were killed until now in 2015? Or we must assume that this is only the tip of the iceberg and many more were probably killed in similar circumstances? (do you have some estimate of the ratio between this “tip” and the “main body” of this iceberg of killings?)
– How fair is to count only unarmed killed individuals? I have seen, in this blog, grueling cases where, despite being the victim in possession of some kind of arm, it was clear that the killing was far from justified; remember the case of Corey Jones, for example (https://abagond.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/corey-jones/)
2. Abagond focuses his attention only in Black victims of police brutality. This is understandable because of the general focus of his blog, that is, to put in the spotlight the multitude of problems facing Black Americans today in their home country. But there are some questions that can not be evaded and remain in the shadows:
– What is count of unarmed White civilians who were killed by the American police also until now this year? Few? Zero? Much fewer that Black civilians? Or only proportionally lower but larger in absolute terms?
Because if there are also many Whites killed, then the problem is more the American police general behavior than a specific manifestation of racism.
– And what about Hispanic and Asian-American civilians? Do they get killed also in proportional numbers compared to Blacks? Or much less?
3. If one is the parent of a Black teenager (boy or girl) is there a way to teach him/her some specifics about the proper behavior outdoors that can minimize the chance of him/her being killed by the police?
This is certainly the main concern any father or mother will have this days.
For example, random suggestions:
– not bring objects in their hands that at the dark can appear ambiguous enough to a police officer at a distance, and eventually be confounded by an arm and trigger the fatal chain of events a few moments later;
– avoid abrupt moves near police officers;
– not engage police officers with manners that can be felt by them as less respectful (?);
– avoid as much as possible to be outdoors in late hours (?)
Regarding the question of respect to police officers I remember some cases described here in this blog were a driver get into troubles because of simple failing to remain humbler in face of a police officer.
The real question is not if the victims were right or not. Your life is only one and is very important. So don’t put it so easily in the cross-hairs of a nervous or malicious police officer.
The Black revolution, if it comes, it will be the result of mass movements. In the meantime the individual persons must take care of their own lives, and above all remain alive.
4. Reading this blog is clear that there is a pattern of police abuse and violence against Black citizens, especially young and male. But life has thought me that the vision shared by a group of individuals who come together regularly and repeatedly to discuss some issues (a religious group is an example; a political party or movement is another example; but there many more) is not necessarily the same vision that the population at large has. In this blog people come and after a while become more aware of the many specific dimensions of Black American life and their interaction with Whites, than probably they knew before they came. People undergo a change of their perceptions of reality. This is good in itself but it means also that the rest of the crowd that remains outside this and other similar groups probably continues to see things not as sharply.
The question is: how much Black citizens in general (and youngsters in particular) are aware of the dangers they can face when they encounter the police? Do they know that if they don’t behave properly (?) they can even got killed?
5. It’s urgent to think about solutions of this macabre scenario. The one that Jeff presented in another thread seems to me the best one. What about to force the authorities to recruit the police agents from the communities they are going to work with? Not racial communities necessarily, but the local group of people were they belong. If police agents come from their own communities it would be less likely that they would react in some stressed situation following some stupid stereotype (“the Black brute stereotype” for example) and “go to the kill… in a kind of pre-emptive strike“. Those police officers would be able to differentiate more sharply the normal boys from the rogue elements in the community. And those police officers would be more cautious to avoid taint their own reputation in the eyes of the community they came from. Fear of retribution against themselves or they loved ones could function as a deterrent of the practice of abuses towards their fellow citizens.
Thanks for your attention.
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@ jefe
Oh yeah: at the Emmanuel press conference where they made the video public, he told us that not all cops are bad. Some of them coach Little League, you know. He said that.
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@TeddyBearDaddy
@Abagond
I know ‘Off-Topic’. I will keep it very short.
@Sharina
Is your ghost following me?
@TeddyBearDaddy
I am honestly perplexed. That bolt came from out of the blue. When did I ever say otherwise? I cannot recall, at any point, talking about poverty levels in South East Asia. Was that comment directed at me or someone else?
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@somaliprince
Considering I have not commented on this thread, it seems more logical that you are following me or rather checking for me.
Fyi I don’t like stalkers.
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Munubantu asked,
“What is count of unarmed White civilians who were killed by the American police also until now this year? Few? Zero? Much fewer that Black civilians? Or only proportionally lower but larger in absolute terms?”
Stats from the Guardian.
“More than one in of five those killed so far in 2015 – 119 people in all – were unarmed. While 31.6% of black people killed were found to be carrying no weapon, that was true for only 16.5% of white people. This stark disparity has stayed roughly constant since The Counted began publishing at the beginning of June.”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/01/us-police-killings-this-year-black-americans
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Jason Van Dyke is another race soldier (White racist cop) who killed an innocent Black teen. Race soldiers have been killing more Blacks than race bangers (non-cop White extremists). White race bangers (neo-Nazis, Aryan BH, klansmen, etc.) have been killing lots of East Indian-Americans. These race killings put a smile on White race leader Donald Trump’s face. Very pathetic.
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I have tried but I still can’t watch the video…I click on it and it starts and I just can’t…
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@munubantu
“How complete is this count? Can we assume that this number is approximately close to the real number of unarmed Black American citizens that were killed until now in 2015”
We should assume there are more unarmed blacks killed by police since police tend to lie and plant weapons on their victims (as they’ve been caught doing, e.g., Walter Scott in South Carolina).
“How fair is to count only unarmed killed individuals?”
In America, police are given more discretion to kill someone who’s armed and doesn’t adhere to orders (even for civilians in defense), so that’s probably why more attention is given to unarmed victims.
“What is count of unarmed White civilians who were killed by the American police also until now this year? ”
Ditto Michael Jon Barker’s response with this addition: almost all the unarmed whites who are killed have been in a physical altercation with police before being shot. That’s not the case for most unarmed blacks who were killed.
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What is most revealing is the outright lies of the police department as to what happened and the systemic suppression of any evidence as to police wrongdoing.
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These are extrajudicial killings. These are not police officers,; they are a group of racist judge Dredds maintaining the legacy of slavery in America. This will never change.
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Abagond, Any chance we can get a post on Rahm Emmanuel?
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@ Jabari Jones
If at least two other people want it.
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@Abagond
I have not heard of ihim, so interested in hearing more.
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I am so glad that these crimes have been caught on video, if not the real story in most of these recent cases would have never been told.
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I wonder how many people actually researched Laquan’s tragic life. Anybody actually try to google this young man’s life story or did they just try to exploit the circumstances of his murder for their own justice satisfaction? When he was 3 he was found to neglected and was in and out of foster care most of his life all the way up to his death. I have a 6 year old son and video footage of him at baby stages all the way up to now…. Just thinking about the neglect and how much it affects a kid is bad.. all kinds of hurt.. along with the physical abuse he endured.
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“Anybody actually try to google this young man’s life story or did they just try to exploit the circumstances of his murder for their own justice satisfaction? ”
.
@ TeddyBearDaddy
Here’s YOUR anwer!
I’m certain that I speak for all Black people everywhere when I state that we all sit quietly waiting for the next white person to unjustifiably murder/beat the crap out of some unarmed Black person (and go unpunished for this all too common terrorist act).
We Black people have too much time and nothing better to do than wait and “exploit.” You probably already know that Black people certainly have no reason on Earth to fear that the next victim might be us, someone we know, or worse – our own children. Don’t YOU think so?
We just live to exploit any and all circumstances. After all, that’s what Black people do, right???????????
I’m absolutely certain that if all Black people pooled their efforts in researching what type of individual this victim was, (his “life story”) we Black people would without a doubt be able to miraculously raise this young man from the grave, right?
But no, we just sit around and wait for the next victim, to “exploit the circumstances of her/his murder” for our own justice satisfaction, like it’s a drug. Because isn’t that what Black people do? Right?
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@ TeddyBearDaddy
I agree with Fan. You are belittling how horrifying these killings are.
Do you think the White press was just “exploiting” the Paris attacks or do you think they were, deep down, truly horrified?
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@Abagond,
If it is any consolation, there are still a multitude of cases in Hong Kong where the police still have not decided whether or not to charge people during the Occupy Central Umbrella Movement with any crime. In many cases it has been over 400 days already.
And, the main thing that has cleared the people who were charged with something was amateur video showing that the police simply “made up” their testimony. With the exception of the police beating of social worker and chief executive elector Ken Tsang, no other policeman has yet to be charged with any crime, even the ones who beat innocent pedestrian bystanders. Even the Ken Tsang beating, which involved 7 officers was recorded clearly on video and broadcast on public TV, took over a year before any charges were filed, and they were filed on both the police and the victim.
It seems like each decision is a political hot potato and they need “extra” time to decide. One reason I “used” to like it better here was because I thought the police were less violent and less corrupt than the USA (although something happened to me a few years ago which already damaged my impression of the police). The events from last year completely changed my thinking on that.
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@abagond
You do realize you are talking to person with parents forever suffering from Post Traumatic Stress from the “Killing Fields” I know it’s a horrifying way that Laquan died but some of posters seem to be bypassing it altogether and posting something more of “personal justice satisfaction” with a smile behind their desk.
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I was proud of the protesters that unified together to protest on Michigan Avenue in Chicago to protest the death of Laquan McDonald. I was wonderful to see black people as a monolith, one body, one voice, all demanding justice.
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Van Dyke is an animal killing that young man in the brutal manner that he did. I am watching MSNBC Melissa Harris-Perry and the LaQuan McDonald case is being discussed by the panel. It took thirteen months for the video to be released that’s reprehensible. The police are always going on about they fear for their lives, there was a shooter in Colorado Springs yesterday why didn’t they kill and shoot him sixteen times? These thugs in blue with badges kill and shoot black people and they are not held accountable. Rahm Emanuel needs to be fired. I hear that Laquan’s family didn’t want the video released because they didn’t want any rioting to ensue. The culture of police violence needs to be shut down.
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VanDyke shot Laquan McDonald sixteen times there was a shooting in Colorado Springs at the Planned Parenthood and they didn’t shot that gunman. The police thugs in blue with badges brutalize and kill black people and get away with it. I am listening to Melissa Harris-Perry and the Laquan Mcdonald case is being discussed, in the panel discussion they are saying Laquan’s family didn’t want the video released for fear of rioting. Thankfully the demonstration on yesterday was peaceful. I feel Rahm Emmanuel and all the city officials need to be held accountable for the death of this young man.
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Rahm Emmanuel needs to be fired.
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Kiwi said:
That makes three people, so I will do a post, probably sooner than later given the state Chicago is in.
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@ Mary
My thoughts exactly.
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I’m afraid that this Van Dyke is going to get something stupid like 5 years in prison or something. Calling it now: All-white jury, sympathetic right wing media who demonizes Laquan ad nauseum.
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@ Jabari
Maybe 3 months and then probation with good behavior if found guilty of first degree murder..
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He’ll probably walk because they over charged him. He should have been charged with second-degree murder, or manslaughter, or whatever the American equivalence is. With first-degree murder, the state has to prove premeditation. It is harder to prove in this case than in the lesser charges unless they give other options when this goes to trial. The district attorney knows this. Correct me it I am wrong as I am not American.
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I agree with Herneith: he will walk because they over charged him. I think they did that on purpose.
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I keep reading about a video i heard it’s quite disturbing i have not seen said video and don’t think i want to see such a video. These killings of black men are just way too frequent to put it mildly. I just don’t think my psyche would be able to look at something like that seeing how this is a real life human being savagely murdered. If the family requested that the video not be shown afraid it would set of rioting in the city. That talk about the Ferguson Effect i wonder will there be a Chicago Effect?
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@ Mary
I saw the video. The only thing I saw that I did not already know is how casually the police regarded his death, as if he were not a real person.
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@Abagond: I viewed the video and yes it was disturbing the way they shot him and he is laying in the middle of the street and they keep shooting him. And yes they are treating him like he is not human. Did you see how even after his body lays lifeless one of the officers kicks him or they kicking at the knife they said he was carrying? I see the callousness of the officers treating the dead young man’s body like he wasn’t human. This is how they regard most black people that they are supposed to protect and serve.
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@ Mary
They were kicking away the knife.
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On Twitter The Daily Beast had an endlessly repeating GIF of Laquan McDonald’s death, to which Brit Bennett tweeted:
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It was almost in the same dehumanizing spirit as the police themselves.
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These cops need better training. Even as kids we were taught to shoot for the legs to avoid an attempted murder charge. There ARE times when one should shoot to kill but many of these police shootings making the news are not those.
I can’t wait to see how Rahm gets out of this one – I doubt the firing of a sacrificial lamb will be enough to appease those calling for the release of other dashcam recordings.
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Let’s see if Rahm seizes the opportunity to step up to the plate to do the right thing.
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Emmanuel is doomed. Laquan McDonald is just the tip of the iceberg. That is apparent from the video itself and the way Emmanuel tried to cover it up.
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There have been 300 police shootings in Chicago in the past five years.
In the past ten years, the city has paid half a billion dollars in hush money to keep a lid on it.
There is another dashcam video the city is trying to keep secret.
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^ Will the courts order more videos released?
Will Obama be forced to condemn his former advisor?
Can we find stats on what other cities and counties pay in hush money?
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That will probably be difficult due to non-disclosure agreements.
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Is this Ronald Johnson? Trying to look it up.
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@ Jefe
Yes. His mother refused to settle out of court. The video could go public on the 10th.
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@ jefe – ‘Will Obama…?’ Probably not. Benghazi coverup/Chicago cover-up, Homan Square/Guantanamo, …
It seems that Rahm learned that the government has no limits from Obama and the Clintons.
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Well at least Garry McCarthy has been fired…
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@ Kiwi – Yeah, America is a litigious country and people have sued PDs (and won) after being shot. I know LOTS of cops and I’m (not) getting texts regarding the situation in San Bernardino right now. They all say that shooting is the last option. But if you look at police shootings in other countries, many are shots to stop not to kill.
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To my knowledge every police or military entity in the world trains its personnel to aim for the body center (in defense situations. When they use the weapon to apprehend a fugitive it’s a different story). Not necessarily to kill the attacker, but as they are also trained to keep firing until the attacker goes down, it is lethal most of the times.
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@Kiwi
I won’t say his comment made me cringe as I too thought that is how cops were suppose to respond. Shoot to wound not kill, but I was told other wise when my husband was trained by an ex-cop during his conceal to carry class. He told my husband repeatedly to always shoot to kill. Never shoot to wound because they look at it as you had an option to remove yourself or leave the situation.
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@Kiwi
You’re right, and that’s why we need stricter self defense and violent fleeing standards. If police can just say they feared for their life or they thought a fleeing suspect was dangerous, then they can use either excuse to justify anyone they murder. The Supreme Court needs to re-examine this and lay out more objective tests.
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I just hope Texas doesn’t just go wild after Open Carry is allowed in the state next month.
A large population, a large Black and Hispanic population, gun culture, notoriously corrupt police departments plus being in the South.
There will probably be a wholelotta’ dead POC in Texas next year.
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@Herneith…“He’ll probably walk because they over charged him. He should have been charged with second-degree murder, or manslaughter, or whatever the American equivalence is. With first-degree murder, the state has to prove premeditation. It is harder to prove in this case than in the lesser charges unless they give other options when this goes to trial. The district attorney knows this. Correct me if I am wrong as I am not American.”
I agree with you 200% that the DA knows this — they all do. They did the same thing here in SC with Michael Slager after he shot Walter Scott in the back, on video. He was charged with 1st degree murder with NO lesser includeds — which, as you said, requires the DA to prove premeditation. Won’t happen. It’s a dog and pony show to quiet the “natives,” and to date, it’s worked.
The North Charleston mayor (who was just recently re-elected November 3rd, in a city with almost a majority of Black voters — who, by the way, were gentrified out of Charleston proper, which once had a Black majority) — immediately fired and arrested Slager, but let his wife keep his police benefits because she was seven months pregnant, has been hailed as the guy who “did the right thing” so the Black Lives Matter folk should just shut the hell up (which they eventually did). The Solicitor then dutifully charged Slager with 1st degree murder. His first lawyer quit the case and then, an attorney who’d been known to represent VICTIMS of police brutality took the case!
Stevie Wonder could see exactly what’s going on, but to my dismay — he seems to be one of very few Black folk here who does. The “natives,” once restless, are now quieted and I expect to see Slager walking whenever this sh*t goes to trial. {SMMFH}
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@Lord of Mirkwood
Unfortunately, I can’t disagree with you. I say “unfortunately” because wouldn’t it be nice to live in a society where the legal system worked and these cases would be brought to trial without the need for political pressure? I’d love to agree with Pumpkin. I wish that a jury were the only people that needed to see them. However, in our current system, no jury ever gets that chance without pressure from the general public. Instead, you just get a cover up. I personally do not watch these videos, but I strongly support their continued release because this sort of “freedom of the press” is critical to regaining control of our government.
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The video of Ronald Johnson will in fact be made public next week:
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/55696435-story
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“I just hope Texas doesn’t just go wild after Open Carry is allowed in the state next month.
A large population, a large Black and Hispanic population, gun culture, notoriously corrupt police departments plus being in the South.
There will probably be a wholelotta’ dead POC in Texas next year.
.
You have a valid point, UBJ. But let’s hope you’re wrong about a whole lot of dead PoC part.
States permit open carry without requiring the citizen to apply for any permit or license:
Alaska
Montana
Idaho
Wyoming
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico
South Dakota
Vermont
Kentucky
Virginia
(I thought Colorado and Ohio were on this list, but not according to the web-site I dragged this from.)
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I don’t understand… Where is the Obama Justice Department on this one? The video has been released and it COMPLETELY CONTRADICTS what the officers wrote down in their official police reports! (Officer’s account of the events were released late last week).
So here we have ABSOLUTE PROOF that the police lied to protect their own on a shameless murder. They erased evidence, they made false police reports, they almost got away with it, all for one uncommonly honest judge who ordered the police dash cam to be released instead of caving-in to the Chicago police union. This shows a wide pattern of corruption that reaches all the way up to the Mayor’s office.
WHY ISN’T THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING this one? Is Obama’s loyalty to Rahm Emanuel more important than his loyalty to his own people?
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@King…“WHY ISN’T THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING this one? Is Obama’s loyalty to Rahm Emanuel more important than his loyalty to his own people?”
Come on now, King — you really thought the Changeling ever had any loyalty to us???
Both he, and Loretta Lynch ONLY have loyalty to the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy (WSCP) which has ALLOWED them both to be where they are today — only because it benefits the WSCP.
Keeping in mind that Rahm knows all his secrets. Do you re-e-e-ally expect him to come down hard on Rahm?
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@ Deb
$&##&%%$@@^$*#!!!!! But it’s disgusting!! And it’s transparent and obvious! I’m wondering if Black Lives Matter will have to picket Barak Obama next?!
I never trusted Rahm Emanuel either. He always struck me as devious and corrupt.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/12/06/justice-department-will-launch-investigation-into-practices-of-chicago-police/
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Thanks Herneith.
At the appointed time, I will give credit where credit is due BUT if Rahm Emanuel is untouched by the stink of this, I will still not be satisfied that there was an investigation.
We shall see.
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The cops lied Rahm Emanuel is a rat.
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It seems that finally the mayor Rahm Emmanuel is assuming his responsabilities.
Look at the video-clip:
(http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/09/us/chicago-mayor-emanuel-police/index.html)
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I see the protesters in Chicago are demanding Rahm (rat) Emmanuel’s resignation. They are not trying to hear his weak apology.
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The Chicago police released the video without audio. I just saw a version WITH the audio, on the Real News. The audio makes clear that Van Dyke was NOT shooting in self defence: after he shoots down McDonald there is a pause. When McDonald moves a bit, showing that he was still alive, Van Dyke shoots him some more.
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Update (March 17th 2016): Thanks largely to protesters, Anita Alvarez, the prosecutor, has been voted out of office! She is also the one who let Dante Servin, the police officer who killed Rekia Boyd, off the hook.
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2016/03/byeanita-black-women-worked-get-rid-prosectors-cleveland-chicago/
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I just read that the Chicago POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY TASK FORCE REPORT is now out, a probe that was initiated after Laquan McDonald’s slaying.
https://chicagopatf.org/
It is a blistering scathing account of the conduct and practice of the CPD, But will this do any good? Who is accountable for these findings and results?
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@ Jefe
Rahm Emmanuel, as the mayor, is. But his resignation by itself will not be enough.
I am working on a post on the Chicago police. Blistering government studies come along only every so often. I am surprised it was that honest.
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Well, this report tosses those words out the window. The CPD itself is the bad apple.
So, can we see this done for Cleveland, New York, Baltimore, Charleston, Oakland, Detroit, etc.?
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40421845
“Laquan McDonald death: Officers ‘lied about US teenager’s shooting'”
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Laquan McDonald would have turned 21 today. His killer is currently standing trial.
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Abagond, thank you so much for keepin’ up and remindin’ us all of the work still yet to be done…
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Van Dyke was found guilty on multiple counts! No getting away with murder today!
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So shocked they found that cop who killed Laquan McDonald guilty of murder.
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Thanks so much for the update Paige.
@Mary Burrell
You and me both. I’m not sure if this is real or the twilight zone.
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Update: Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder!!! A lesser charge, but way more than most killer cops ever get. And that was in spite of the fact that only one juror was Black. (Cook County is 25% Black, so there should have been three Black jurors.) He is now in jail and faces 6 to 15 years in prison with a chance of parole.
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@Sharina: In the words of my favorite blogger and podcaster Chauncey DeVega we are living in this malignant reality. And yes it is like the Twilight Zone and Black Mirror and Stranger Things where we live in the nightmare alternative universe of the upside down.
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@ Abagond
” He is now in jail and faces 6 to 15 years in prison with a chance of parole.”
A sentence which is far, far less than many people face for selling a nickle bag of weed.
He will likely get probation or early release after a few years. He certainly will not be held in general population.
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Surprise! Van Dyke got very close to the lowest end of the range (6 years 9 months).
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(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lM9ntCQ5G8)
It’s always interesting to here to judge talk about how painful this is for “both sides” in these kinds of cases. I seem to recall something very similar in the Dylann Roof case, the judge expressing sympathy for his family.
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typo correction: hear the judge
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These murderers never get what they deserve.
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There really was no justice for Laquan McDonald this is horrible.
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Van Dyke beaten in prison.
No serious injuries, apparently.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-jason-van-dyke-laquan-mcdonald-prison-beating-20190213-story.html
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The prosecution has petitioned the state supreme court to order a resentencing:
“Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph McMahon, appointed to handle the Van Dyke case, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul argue that Judge Vincent Gaughan sentenced Van Dyke under improper legal guidelines, and note that a significantly longer sentence would be justifiable under state law.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-jason-van-dyke-laquan-mcdonald-sentence-challenge-20190205-story.html
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Van Dyke was beaten in his cell. Not beaten badly enough. But somebody got a payday in the commissary and some extra on their book.
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maybe that’s why he entered into federal custody maybe he’s got something to tell the feds. the latest batch of convicted ‘wrongful shooting’ police lately seems to be generally 6-8 years, i think the judges pretty much believe the police in general
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i dont know where i saw it he’s in ad seg
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