Government Officials Scramble for Cover After Police Murder Video Released

By: Mark Javier

 

The city is overwhelmingly focused on the cold-blooded murder of seventeen-year-old Laquan McDonald at the hands of a Chicago police officer and the year-long delay in releasing the heart-wrenching dash board video depicting his slaying. For weeks, city officials have been under attack for withholding truthful information about the murder, leading many to allege that politics, incompetence and conspiracy may have motivated a cover-up of the incident. The controversy has already resulted in the firing of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, the departures of the heads of the CPD detective unit and the Independent Police Review Authority.

Many also are calling for the resignations of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. Perhaps the most frightening part of the situation is the fact that the general public was given wrong information regarding Laquan’s murder at the time it occurred in November 2014 and even when the true nature of the killing was discovered, it was hidden behind a five-million-dollar settlement.

There is currently much debate about this settlement and the process that led to its approval in the city council. Many, if not all, aldermen voted for the settlement after the city’s top lawyer, Stephen Patton, argued that it would be a reasonable settlement in light of the video. There is no indication that any of the aldermen requested to view the video before casting their vote. In fact, some aldermen are now contending that the city council was misled into approving the payment, which many have equated to “hush money.”

Our government leaders are public servants that serve at the will of the people. They have a duty to inform the public of governmental concerns that directly affect our health, welfare and safety. A murderous police officer loose on the streets of our city is certainly a major public concern, as well as the attempt to sweep that officer’s criminal activity under the bargaining table.

The leaders of Chicago failed. The citizens of Chicago may never have known about these things, and Jason Van Dyke (“officer” intentionally omitted) may not have seen the inside of a court room if it were not for the diligence of a journalist and the prudence of a judge. After a reporter requested the video under the state’s Freedom of Information Act the city vigorously fought to keep the murder video hidden from public view, Judge Franklin Valderrama, ruled against the city and ordered its release.

That’s when the mad scramble began. The Cook County State’s Attorney promptly filed murder charges against Van Dyke on the morning the video was set to air, stating that she waited nearly thirteen months to charge Van Dyke because of a connected federal investigation.

Immediately following the video’s release, Mayor Emanuel stood up for his police superintendent and continued to back McCarthy, but a week later Emanuel decided that McCarthy had become a “distraction” and demanded his resignation.

One can only imagine the outcome of a court ruling that would have sided with the city and kept the video locked away.

Laquan McDonald’s murder at the hands of someone sworn to serve and protect the public not only raises questions about how law enforcement uses force and violence against the public, but more deeply inspects the attitude we have towards poor minority communities in our city. The use of force against young men of color is not new, brutality and torture is not new, and the violation of constitutional rights is not new. These things are happening regularly.

For those of us who live outside the fear, stress and terror of neighborhoods held captive by gangs, drugs and guns, police tactics appear distant and justified. They do not come into direct contact with the sense of safety we experience while shopping at Mariano’s, or the harmony we share with our neighbors at block parties while watching kids jump in bouncy houses, or make goofy noises at our four-legged friends at the dog park. We don’t feel for those people until there is no escaping the knowledge of their reality. Now that Laquan McDonald’s murder has captivated our attention, perhaps the scourge of injustice will touch our hearts. ##