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Loves the "Funny" Button
Our local news just reported on this one. Looks like we missed it when it originally happened in Oct. 2014. Video, pics, tweets and Anderson Cooper's interview w/Spike Lee @ link below.

ETA: They just showed the protests in the streets already in progress.


151124115845-01-officer-jason-vandyke-medium-plus-169.jpg
Chicago (CNN) Protesters took to the streets of Chicago late Tuesday after police released a graphic dash-cam video showing an officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

McDonald was killed in October 2014. The city's mayor has called for peace.

"I believe this is a moment that can build bridges of understanding rather than become a barrier of misunderstanding. I understand that the people will be upset and will want to protest when they see this video," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "We as a city must rise to this moment."

Chicago has been preparing for protests in advance of the video's release, which was ordered by a judge to happen no later than Wednesday.

McDonald was a black teenager. The officer who shot him, Jason Van Dyke, is white.

He was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in McDonald's death and is being held without bond.

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy acknowledged that residents "have a right to be angry."

Soon after the video's release, a group of protesters began marching, chanting "16 shots" and "We got to fight back!" McDonald died after being shot 16 times.

The NAACP said that McDonald's family and the community deserve action.

"People have a right to be angry, people have a right to protest, people have a right to free speech," McCarthy said. "But they do not have a right to commit criminal acts."

Murder charges

Van Dyke, who turned himself in to authorities Tuesday, is no longer being paid by the Police Department. Until Tuesday, he still worked for the department in a "limited duty position" as investigators probed the October 20, 2014, death.

"It is my determination that this defendant's actions -- of shooting Laquan McDonald when he did not pose an immediate threat of great bodily harm or death, and his subsequent actions of shooting Laquan McDonald while he lay on the ground after previously being struck by gunfire --- were not justified and they were not a proper use of deadly force by this police officer," Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said to announce charges against the officer.

An attorney for Jason Van Dyke says his client didn't do anything wrong.


Her announcement happened one day before the city's deadline to release video that shows the shooting. Until last week, officials had resisted such a release, fearing it could jeopardize investigations. Others said it could spur major protests in reaction to footage that even Van Dyke's attorney admits is "graphic, disturbing and difficult to watch."

Alvarez said the deadline moved up the timing of her announcement but did not dictate her decision to charge the officer with first-degree murder. She also defended the time it took her office to investigate by saying the case is complicated.

"Maintaining public safety is my No. 1 job, and I do not want the public to view this video without knowing this very important context that with these charges we are bringing a full measure of justice that this demands," she said.

Attorney: 'His actions were appropriate'

Authorities say McDonald was armed with a 3-inch knife when Van Dyke confronted him. The teen did not comply with "numerous police orders to drop the knife," the officer's attorney, Daniel Herbert,told the Chicago Tribune.

Herbert has defended Van Dyke's actions, saying the officer "believed he was in fear for an attack and for the safety of anyone else on the scene."

"He's scared to death, but more than himself he's scared for his wife, his two kids," Herbert said of his client before charges were filed. "He knows in his heart of hearts that his actions were appropriate."

Van Dyke, 37, grew up in the Chicago area. He is married and has two children, ages 14 and 9.

The nearly seven-minute video released late Tuesday shows the dash-cam view as a patrol car approaches the scene. About five minutes and 20 seconds in, McDonald is seen running, then walking down a road toward several squad cars with flashing lights.

With his left hand near his pocket, McDonald veers away from two police officers, who have their guns drawn.

Seconds later, McDonald appears to spin around, then falls, writhing as shots keep hitting his body, sending puffs of smoke into the air.

At an afternoon hearing Tuesday, a judge temporarily denied bond for Van Dyke. Judge Donald Panarese Jr. plans to make a final determination on bond during another court hearing set for next Monday, so that he can have time to view the video.

"People viewing this videotape will have the brilliance and benefit of hindsight 20/20 vision," Herbert told reporters, saying the case needs to be tried in court, not in the media or on the streets.

"This is not a murder case, despite what you heard in the courtroom. It's truly not a murder case and we feel that we will be very successful in defending this case," the attorney said.

Pastor: 'Many ... feel betrayed'

According to Alvarez, Van Dyke was on the scene for less than 30 seconds before he started shooting. Citing a motorist who witnessed the shooting, she said that McDonald did not do anything threatening toward Van Dyke and the other responding officers before he was shot.

McDonald appeared to be moving away from the officers, while Van Dyke took at least one step toward McDonald with his weapon drawn, she said. While McDonald was falling to the ground, the officer took at least one more step toward him.

Activists have blasted Van Dyke. Mayor Emanuel joined them, releasing a statement on the charges.

"Across Chicago there are thousands of police officers who protect our communities every day with the highest professional standards. As the State's Attorney made clear, Jason Van Dyke's actions violated those standards and also the moral standards that bind our community together. Rather than uphold the law, he took the law into his own hands, and it's now up to the justice system to hold him accountable," the mayor said.

Emanuel met Monday with activists and community leaders to discuss the release and what it might mean for the city.

The Rev. Ira Acree said the mayor urged him and others to use their influence to ensure that any subsequent demonstrations are peaceful.

"Many in the community feel betrayed," Acree, a pastor at the Greater St. John Bible Church, told reporters after the meeting. "Protests are imminent."

Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass has said the video"could tear Chicago apart."

"Chicago is on the tipping point," the Rev. Roosevelt Watkins said, according to CNN affiliate WLS-TV. "We could be just like Ferguson."

Watkins was referring to Ferguson, Missouri, which imploded in protests and riots after a white police officer shot to death unarmed black teen Michael Brown in 2014. Unrest in the St. Louis suburb lasted for months afterward.

One Twitter user compared McDonald's death to that of Walter Scott, a black man in South Carolina who was killed by an officer after being pulled over, reportedly for a broken brake light, and later struck in the back as he was running away from police.

City reaches settlement with family

But what happened in Chicago differs from Ferguson in a few ways.

McDonald was armed, unlike Brown. According to toxicology test results, McDonald had PCP in his system.

And Van Dyke confronted him knowing that McDonald had "punctured a tire on a police car," according to his attorney.

Another major difference is that McDonald's final moments were captured on video.

The city agreed in April to pay $5 million to McDonald's family, though the family had not filed a lawsuit.

McDonald was a ward of the state at the time of his death, according to a spokeswoman with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. A few days before he was killed, DCFS gave him over to the custody of a relative, she said.

She also said that McDonald was the alleged victim in two abuse investigations. One happened in 2000; the other in 2003.

McDonald attended Sullivan House, an alternative school, for about two months, according to the principal there.

Thomas Gattuso remembered McDonald as someone who was outgoing, jovial, talkative and funny. He'd thought about playing basketball and wanted to get his life on track, the principal said.

"We have a tragic ending to -- unfortunately -- a tragic life of a young man, who was betrayed on a number of different levels," said McCarthy, the police superintendent.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/24/us/laquan-mcdonald-chicago-shooting-video/
 
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Not much anyone could possibly say on this one. Guy is just walking along holding a knife, no where close to other people, and they blast him.

Sucks to be that cop, good luck in jail dipshit.

Hopefully the victims family is mighty rich now.
 
A four inch blade isn't really a reason to fear for your life.
True, it can take out an eye, but come on. Shoot him in the foot. NOT SIXTEEN TIMES AS HE'S WALKING AWAY.
 
A four inch blade isn't really a reason to fear for your life.
True, it can take out an eye, but come on. Shoot him in the foot. NOT SIXTEEN TIMES AS HE'S WALKING AWAY.
I had heard it was a 3 inch blade, which makes it even worse.

Other than that, I absolutely agree.
 
A three inch folding knife that was closed when they kicked it out of his hand.
 
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"He's scared to death, but more than himself he's scared for his wife, his two kids," Herbert said of his client before charges were filed. "He knows in his heart of hearts that his actions were appropriate." Look how far away the victim was, and how he veered into the lane away from the officers.
 
Plus, 16 rounds, no hand gun holds 16 rounds, he reloaded and kept firing.
Actually most police carry a gun with a 15 round clip, the clip is not standard issue rather a special feature, and they keep one in the chamber meaning their service weapons hold 16 rounds.

The cop committed murder, I'm not saying otherwise, but chances are very high that he didn't reload, he just emptied his gun and clip equally the 16 rounds.

Here's a forum that explains it:
http://novatownhall.com/2011/01/30/how-many-rounds-are-in-police-pistols/
 
Actually most police carry a gun with a 15 round clip, the clip is not standard issue rather a special feature, and they keep one in the chamber meaning their service weapons hold 16 rounds.

The cop committed murder, I'm not saying otherwise, but chances are very high that he didn't reload, he just emptied his gun and clip equally the 16 rounds.

Here's a forum that explains it:
http://novatownhall.com/2011/01/30/how-many-rounds-are-in-police-pistols/
Yeah, I just edited that, remembering the high capacity clip for Beretta 9 mil. Plus at least 2 rounds hit the street, and one officer said he reloaded.
 
That mug shot looks recent. His eyes seem to say "Murderer". I suspect the thin blue line agrees.
Shakes head...
 
Besides the obvious outrage (and the fact our community LEOs carry 15 rd. clips, not 16, and 13 rds. for officers in the precinct/offices), the thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact that until 2013, my state always had a personal carry restriction on blade lengths - 4 inches was the legal length...

Now, there is no restriction on blade types or blade lengths for personal carry:

"Starting this month, previously banned blades like dirks, daggers, stilettos and switchblades are now legal for carry in Kansas, thanks to the Legislature's approval of House Bill 2033, which Gov. Sam Brownback signed in April. The Legislature also wiped out a state law restricting blade length to 4 inches."

I can't even throw together coherent commentary on the rest. I *am* glad this MFer is getting hit with 1st degree murder, but I hope to hell they can prove it in court. I wish they'd back it up with a 2nd degree alternative charge, too, in case his defense atty comes up with some "poor, pitiful Jason was scared and had a PTSD flashback to when a boy on the bus called him a bad name...'" bullshit and the jury buys it.

I'm also glad the city settled with the family before they filed the civil suit, but personally, the needless, deliberate, and cruel end to the life of a child, riddled with 16 bullets no less (hope against hope the first shot was fatal), has once again been reduced to dollars and cents. Add the murderers doing direct restitution with their blood, sweat and tears for the victim's family for the rest of their lives and I'd feel a lot better about it.
 
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the fact our community LEOs carry 15 rd. clips, not 16
Which is what they are 15 round, the 16th is the chambered one.

I'm not saying he didn't reload what I'm saying is that 16 rounds is standard from a LEO's gun- 15 in the clip and one in the chamber.
 
The frequency with which this preventable shit happens clearly indicates the LE curriculum needs to be updated. I don't know where they fucked up, but something changed in the last ten or so years, and they've been producing killers instead of protectors. I say, dust off the fucking books from the 1970s and get back to basics.

Looking for excuses to show off their military surplus gear doesn't help things either. You don't need a fucking SWAT team to deliver a warrant - when they choose to abide by one.
 
Which is what they are 15 round, the 16th is the chambered one.

I'm not saying he didn't reload what I'm saying is that 16 rounds is standard from a LEO's gun- 15 in the clip and one in the chamber.

Yepper. And, since he's an LEO it's SOP rather than just doing what some people do and load the clip then holster it, or load the clip, rack the slide and holster it (that's all I meant by the 15, not 16).

On the reload question, I agree he probably didn't have to either. I pulled this from the Chicago PD Duty Weapon SOP:
The semiautomatic pistols approved by the Department for on- and off-duty use by Department members are contingent on the following criteria:

D. Semiautomatic pistols will be:

  • 1. chambered in 9mm Luger (Parabellum), .40 caliber S&W, or .45 ACP caliber.

  • 2. equipped with an automatic firing pin safety blocking device.

  • 3. fully loaded with only one manufacturer and style of prescribed ammunition (same bullet type and grain weight).

  • 4. carried with a cartridge in the firing chamber and the pistol’s hammer will be completely decocked.
http://directives.chicagopolice.org/lt2015/data/a7a57b38-137ec5db-e6913-7ec6-7ee3ce8cb24a817d.html
 
Was the kid armed? Yes.
Was the cop pissed because of the flattened tire? Probably.
Was the kid gunned down & murdered? Yes.
Did the kid deserve to have the cop empty his entire MAGAZINE into his body? Awww, Hell NO!

It's going to be a long, hot Autumn & Winter in Chi-Town.
(Beware of burning debris.)
 
""He's scared to death, but more than himself he's scared for his wife, his two kids," Herbert said of his client before charges were filed."

The police officer feared for his wife and children? Were they also present when he shot the boy? Because his family is definitely suffering now. If the officer panicked then he is not suitable to be on patrol. He should have had a desk job instead, then pushed out the door.
 
It's getting to the point where you need to be more afraid of being killed by cop than random gang bullshit.
 
The Latest
(Even Rudy Giuliani is saying 13 months is unacceptable)
Note: Google pic sheet of protest @ end - notice anything different? :)

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Random Chicago protest pics
It was just about a year ago that a city whistleblower came to journalist Jamie Kalven and attorney Craig Futterman out of concern that Laquan McDonald’s shooting a few weeks earlier “wasn’t being vigorously investigated,” as Kalven recalls. The source told them “that there was a video and that it was horrific,” he said.

Without that whistleblower—and without that video—it’s highly unlikely that Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke would be facing first-degree murder charges today.

“When it was first reported it was a typical police shooting story,” Kalven said, where police claim self-defense and announce an investigation, and “at that point the story disappears.” And, typically, a year or 18 months later, the Independent Police Review Authority confirms the self-defense claim, and “by then no one remembers the initial incident.”

“There are an average of 50 police shootings of civilians every year in Chicago, and no one is ever charged,” said Futterman. “Without the video, this would have been just one more of 50 such incidents, where the police blotter defines the narrative and nothing changes.”

Last December, Kalven and Futterman issued a statement revealing the existence of a dash-cam video andcalling for its release. Kalven tracked down a witness to the shooting, who said he and other witnesses had been “shooed away” from the scene with no statements or contact information taken.

In February, Kalven obtained a copy of McDonald’s autopsy, which contradicted the official story that McDonald had died of a single gunshot to the chest. In fact, he’d been shot 16 times—as Van Dyke unloaded his service weapon, execution style—while McDonald lay on the ground.

The next month, the City Council approved a $5 million settlement with McDonald’s family, whose attorneys had obtained the video. They said it showed McDonald walking away from police at the time of the shooting, contradicting the police story that he was threatening or had “lunged at” cops. The settlement included a provision keeping the video confidential.

“The real issue here is, this terrible thing happened, how did our governmental institutions respond?” Kalven said. “And from everything we’ve learned, compulsively at every level, from the cops on the scene to the highest levels of government, they responded by circling the wagons and by fabricating a narrative that they knew was completely false.” To him this response is “part of a systemic problem” and preserves “the underlying conditions that allow abuse and shield abuse.”

In April, the Chicago Tribune revealed Van Dyke’s name and his history of civilian complaints—including several brutality complaints, one of which cost the city $500,000 in a civil lawsuit—none of which resulted in any disciplinary action. In May, Carol Marin reported that video from a security camera at a Burger King on the scene had apparently been deleted by police in the hours after the shooting.

“This case shows the operation of the code of silence in the Chicago Police Department,” said Futterman. “From the very start you have officers and detectives conspiring to cover up the story. The question is, why are they not being charged?”

Van Dyke’s history “also shows what happens when the police department consistently chooses not to look at patterns of abuse complaints when investigating misconduct charges,” he adds. This failure “is one of the reasons an officer like Van Dyke has an opportunity to execute a 17-year-old kid.”

Rather than acknowledging the systemic failures, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is now trying to frame the issue as the action of one bad officer, as the Tribune reports. “One individual needs to be held accountable,” he said Monday.

Kalven calls Emanuel’s “reframing” of the narrative “essentially false.” He points out that “everything we know now, the city knew from Day One. They had the officers on the scene. They knew there were witnesses. They had the autopsy, they had the video.... They maintained a false narrative about those events, and they did it for a year, when it could have been corrected almost immediately....They spent a year stonewalling any calls for transparency, any information about the case.”

He points to Cincinnati, where last summer a university officer was indicted for murder and video from his body camera was released within days following the shooting of an unarmed African-American man in a traffic stop.

“The policy in Cincinnati is that you should release within 24 hours unless there are compelling investigatory reasons to hold on longer,” said Kalven. “The policy should be that the presumption is that this is public information and it is released as quickly as can reasonably be done, except in cases where there is a genuine and very specific investigatory need to withhold it.”

That’s not the same as waiting until an investigation is concluded. Friday’s ruling that the McDonald video must be released—and the absence of any affidavit from investigators about the need to withhold it—showed that “there was absolutely no legal or investigatory impediment to releasing this” long ago.

“This was an incredible test of leadership, a major challenge to [Emanuel’s] leadership,” Kalven said. “Think how different the situation would be right now if the city had acknowledged the reality of what happened in the days or weeks after it happened. That would have built confidence.”

And instead of vague and politically self-serving calls for “healing,” it could have begun a real process of accountability of the kind necessary to start addressing the extreme alienation between police and wide segments of our communities.

Instead, with only Van Dyke indicted, it looks like he’s being sacrificed in order to protect the system that created him.

http://chicagoreporter.com/how-chicago-tried-to-cover-up-a-police-execution/

Google pics: https://www.google.com/search?q=protest+pics+chicago&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=2KOLCZfdLSToUM%3A%3Bp7hpsMku9ZvzvM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.usatoday.com%252Fnews%252Fnation%252Fstory%252F2012-05-16%252Fchicago-nato-protests-security%252F55030824%252F1&source=iu&pf=m&fir=2KOLCZfdLSToUM%3A%2Cp7hpsMku9ZvzvM%2C_&usg=__iYrLck3Yo-cUDbGiwkSLjG9O-Tw=&ved=0ahUKEwiKtKPI_azJAhWKpR4KHXYlDRwQyjcIMQ&ei=NGZWVorKJ4rLevbKtOAB#imgrc=2paTI8f5hVkKFM:&usg=__iYrLck3Yo-cUDbGiwkSLjG9O-Tw=
 
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Not much anyone could possibly say on this one. Guy is just walking along holding a knife, no where close to other people, and they blast him.

Sucks to be that cop, good luck in jail dipshit.

Hopefully the victims family is mighty rich now.
The family was already paid 5 million dollars by the city, without admitting any wrongdoing.
 
A four inch blade isn't really a reason to fear for your life.
True, it can take out an eye, but come on. Shoot him in the foot. NOT SIXTEEN TIMES AS HE'S WALKING AWAY.

Shouldn't matter how big the knife is. The guy isn't within 20 damn feet of any other human being.

The family was already paid 5 million dollars by the city, without admitting any wrongdoing.

Nice. The fact that the city gave that up so easily is an admission of wrongdoing all on its own. Hope it wasn't part of some agreement to where they can't go back for some more after this fucker is found guilty.
 
My "problem" is this...How in the HELL am I supposed to take these skinny-jean wearing (on Dudes? WTF?), Bieber hair sporting hipters seriously? They're wearing girls jeans ffs! It's just NOT right dammit!

Just looking at the skinny hipster white boy(?) to the left with the 'black lives matter' sign makes me want to roll my eyes at turbo-speed. Just stop. You're hurting your own credibility.

Also nice job on the sign calling all cops pigs and murderers, insulting the non-killer cops too. This will surely help the situation!

This murderous ass needs to be convicted, but I want to punch these stupid kids.
 
Actually most police carry a gun with a 15 round clip, the clip is not standard issue rather a special feature, and they keep one in the chamber meaning their service weapons hold 16 rounds.

The cop committed murder, I'm not saying otherwise, but chances are very high that he didn't reload, he just emptied his gun and clip equally the 16 rounds.

Here's a forum that explains it:
http://novatownhall.com/2011/01/30/how-many-rounds-are-in-police-pistols/
Think the 9mm Beretta comes with a 15 round clip, its popular with the police force in this area
 
When did rioting and vandalism become considered legal protest?

Protesters Vandalize Christmas Tree In Millennium Park
Several dozen protesters were seen taking down metal barricades and then stripping the lights off the tree before 10 p.m. Wednesday. It was yesterday that the city held the official tree lighting ceremony. CBS 2 observed two women being restrained by police.

The protesters then went north down Michigan Avenue and stripped Christmas decorations off of Trump Tower.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/11/25/protesters-vandalize-christmas-tree-in-millennium-park/
 
When did rioting and vandalism become considered legal protest?

I just re-read your question and realized I was answering a question you didn't ask. So let me apologize for that first.

This is for when I thought "legal" was "peaceful" in your question... so umm... this isn't technically directed at you:

The moment humans started protesting in large groups. The larger the group, the more likely people in it are assholes looking to take advantage. Shit we turn cars over, start fires and generally act like psychotic shit-flinging baboons if our sports team loses. Or if it wins. Or if there's a really good sale on.

People suck is what I'm saying.

Not real sure wtf vandalizing a Christmas tree has to do with police killing people. I'd hope it's just hangers on who are using the peaceful protesters to cover their own assholery because otherwise they're doing their own cause damage.
 
Can't understand this at all, they should've dealt with the murderer right away
Only thing I can figure is they where trying to avoid the professional race baiters, riots and burning as long as possible
Race baiters , city's try to protect themselves from them, make arrangements and pay them off, before proceeding with justice
 
It's Chicago,
The Mayor was reelected last year.
Sure, some city councilors might have enough dirt on the "right" cops to retard Justice.
But only one Politician can do this type legal subversion under the media's watchful (sic) eyes, Obama's right hand man in 2008. No, not Reggie Love, he's a lefty who needs no hands to suck cock.
 

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