“On Black Friday, we’re going to make it hard for them to ignore the black voice.”
Jim Young / Reuters
CHICAGO — Demonstrators gathered at Chicago's premier shopping district, Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile, on Black Friday to continue their protests over the police shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald.
Despite chilly temperatures and rain, Friday's rally saw more people gather than in previous protests on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"The cold is temporary, the rain is temporary," said protester Christian Branch. "On Black Friday, we're going to make it hard for them to ignore the black voice."
Many protesters said they believed they could garner attention from Chicago officials by demonstrating on one of the country's major retail days and harming the city's economy.
"We're hoping to discourage shopping and hurt them economically until they hear us," said Ariana, who declined to give her last name. "I just wish people were out here protesting the conditions we live in sooner."
"No justice, no peace, no racist police," the crowd chanted as they marched north on Michigan Ave. The protesters also shouted familiar refrains from earlier protests, including "16 shots and a cover up" — a reference to the number of shots Officer Jason Van Dyke fired at Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke was charged this week with first degree murder over the 17-year-old's death as footage of the 2014 killing was released by officials.
"Something needs to change," Marshall Hatch Jr. told BuzzFeed News. "It's not enough to just charge Van Dyke with murder. This has been a cover up from the bottom up and [State's Attorney] Anita Alvarez, [Mayor] Rahm Emanuel, and [Police Supt. Garry] McCarthy have got to go."
Max Thomas said he was born and raised in Chicago's south side, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods, and he's tired of experiencing segregation. "A lot of us don't have hope," he told BuzzFeed News. "Our voices need to be heard everyday and these past few days we've shown that they can be heard peacefully."
Once protesters reached Water Tower Place, the end of the march's route, they linked arms to block the entrances of major stores.
The protesters created barricades in front of Macy's, Ralph Lauren, the Apple Store, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Zara, among others.
Andrew Nelles / Reuters
Outside Zara, a female security guard at the store yelled at protesters, telling them their actions were not peaceful.
Also outside the same retailer, a protester confronted police officers, criticizing authorities for not releasing the dashcam video of McDonald's death for 400 days.
"I used to want to grow up and be a police officer. Not anymore though," the protester said. "Y'all need to hold each other accountable. Don't let your job deter who you are as a person and what you feel."
One man seeking to enter stores, Asnzour Jallouqa, yelled at protesters and said he had waited for this day all year to take his wife shopping. Jallouqa engaged in a heated debate with the protesters until a Zara employee escorted the man and his wife into the store.
Many shoppers on Michigan Ave. told BuzzFeed News that they couldn't understand why the demonstrators were targeting retailers.
"I don't understand the link between the shooting and stopping shopping," said Michele Matthews, who was visiting Chicago from Michigan. "I hate to say [the protest] is an inconvenience but it is. I don't think they're getting their point across in the right way."
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1YyzPxI
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