Scott Olson / Getty Images
Following a week of criticism about how the city of Chicago handled the release of a dashboard camera video showing a white police officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a new “police accountability task force.”
The Task Force on Police Accountability will "recommend reforms to the current system to improve independent oversight of police misconduct, ensure officers with repeated complaints are identified and evaluated appropriately, and establish best practice for release of videos of police-involved incidents."
Last week, following a judge’s order Chicago officials released a graphic video of officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting McDonald in October 2014. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder last Tuesday, and was released on $1.5 million bond on Monday.
Multiple demonstrations have erupted in the streets of downtown Chicago since the video’s release, with protesters criticizing city officials for taking 13 months to make the video public. Emanuel has argued that he did not release the recording because he did not want to interfere with the investigation.
Protesters accused Emanuel of a cover up due to the lack of audio from the police video and an 86-minute gap from surveillance video taken at a nearby Burger King.
On Black Friday, hundreds of protesters marched down Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile, blocking storefronts and refusing to allow shoppers to enter the stores.
A number of protesters called for Emanuel, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign.
“The shooting of Laquan McDonald requires more than just words,” Emanuel said in a statement. “It requires that we act; that we take more concrete steps to prevent such abuses in the future, secure the safety and the rights of all Chicagoans, and build stronger bonds of trust between our police and the communities they’re sworn to serve.”
Emanuel’s task force, which will include victims’ rights representatives, law enforcement organizations, and youth leaders. Former Massachusetts Governor and Chicago native Deval Patrick will serve as a senior advisor. The task force will have four months to make recommendations for changes in the police department.
Emanuel is scheduled to discuss the task force at a press conference Tuesday.
LINK: Chicago Releases Video Of White Police Officer Fatally Shooting Black Teen 16 Times
LINK: Protesters March For Second Night In Chicago Over Police Shooting Video
LINK: Hundreds Of Protesters Block Black Friday Shoppers In Chicago
LINK: Chicago Protesters: “It’s About Class”
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1ImmGUh
No comments:
Post a Comment