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Van Dyke avoids federal charges in Laquan McDonald's death
Read full article: Van Dyke avoids federal charges in Laquan McDonald's deathFederal authorities say they will not criminally charge Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer convicted of murder in the 2014 shooting death of Black teenager Laquan McDonald.
Jussie Smollett to learn fate after staged attack conviction
Read full article: Jussie Smollett to learn fate after staged attack convictionJussie Smollett is returning to a Chicago courtroom for sentencing with just two questions hanging over his head: Will he admit that he lied about a racist homophobic attack and will a judge send him to jail.
Van Dyke protesters fined $200 each, ordered to stay away
Read full article: Van Dyke protesters fined $200 each, ordered to stay awayNine people arrested inside the federal courthouse in downtown Chicago demanding federal charges against former Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke have ben ordered by a federal judge to stay away from the building for 60 days and pay $200 fines.
Ex-Chicago officer who killed Laquan McDonald leaves prison
Read full article: Ex-Chicago officer who killed Laquan McDonald leaves prisonThe former Chicago police officer who was convicted in the shooting death of Black teenager Laquan McDonald has been released from prison after serving less than half of his sentence.
Anger, questions as ex-cop who killed Black teen is set free
Read full article: Anger, questions as ex-cop who killed Black teen is set freeThe imminent release from prison of the former Chicago police officer who shot Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014, killing the Black teenager, is a reminder for some of what they say is an unfair criminal justice system.
NAACP urges federal charges in Laquan McDonald's killing
Read full article: NAACP urges federal charges in Laquan McDonald's killingThe NAACP is urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to bring federal civil rights charges against the white Chicago police officer who fatally shot Black teenager Laquan McDonald.
Ex-Chicago officer who killed Laquan McDonald to be released
Read full article: Ex-Chicago officer who killed Laquan McDonald to be releasedThe white Chicago police officer convicted in the 2014 shooting death of Black teenager Laquan McDonald is days away from walking out of prison after just over three years behind bars.
A look at high-profile cases over killings by US police
Read full article: A look at high-profile cases over killings by US policeA suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for a Taser was led away in handcuffs Thursday after a jury found her guilty of manslaughter in the death of Black motorist Daunte Wright.
Police shooting looms over Emanuel in confirmation battle
Read full article: Police shooting looms over Emanuel in confirmation battleThe fatal police shooting of a Black teen in Chicago seven years ago is looming large over former Mayor Rahm Emanuel as he hopes to win Senate confirmation as ambassador to Japan.
Japan envoy pick Emanuel: Chicago teen shooting weighs heavy
Read full article: Japan envoy pick Emanuel: Chicago teen shooting weighs heavyFormer Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he did nothing improper but still fell short in his handling of the fatal police shooting of a Black teenage seven years ago in the city.
Evidence in Chauvin case contradicted first police statement
Read full article: Evidence in Chauvin case contradicted first police statementMoments after former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in George Floyd’s death, copies of the original Minneapolis police statement began recirculating on social media.
Despite growing chorus, DOJ is limited in police probes
Read full article: Despite growing chorus, DOJ is limited in police probesCalls have grown for federal investigations into police killings across the nation since President Joe Biden took office and said he believes racial disparities in policing must change.
Jurors in ex-officer’s high-profile trial face heavy burden
Read full article: Jurors in ex-officer’s high-profile trial face heavy burdenThe huge task for jurors at the trial of Chauvin showed during jury selection as some would-be jurors said they were unnerved by the very thought of being on the panel. A high fence installed around the courthouse for the trial is a daily reminder for jurors of security concerns. Numerous people expressed unease about serving on the panel for Chauvin's trial during the more than two weeks of jury selection. All the Chauvin jurors were asked before being impaneled if they could set aside outside influences and decide the case only on evidence presented at trial. AdAlan Tuerkheimer, a Chicago-based jury consultant, said he believed the Chauvin jurors would become increasingly calm as the trial proceeds and would be able to block out the hubbub.
Diverse jury raises activists' hopes for ex-cop's trial
Read full article: Diverse jury raises activists' hopes for ex-cop's trialAfrican Americans bring “an institutional memory of the police” to jury rooms that whites and even other people of color don’t share, he said. AdDerek Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death May 25. When they do, recent history suggests a more diverse jury increases the odds for conviction, although the record is mixed. During questioning for Chauvin's jury, some people in the pool were strikingly direct about how the color of their skin affected their view of Floyd's death. A Black man in his 30s who immigrated to America more than 14 years ago said he talked with his wife about the case.
Joe Biden weighs Rahm Emanuel for transportation secretary
Read full article: Joe Biden weighs Rahm Emanuel for transportation secretaryCHICAGO – President-elect Joe Biden is considering former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a substantial and somewhat divisive figure in Democratic Party politics, to serve as his transportation secretary. Progressive leaders, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have been especially vocal in criticizing the prospect of Emanuel joining the Cabinet. “The administration needs people like Rahm who know how to get things done.”Some of the city’s Black elected officials are also vouching for him. Emanuel said he did not see the grisly video until it was set to be made public in November 2015. During his time as mayor, Chicago saw $11 billion in airfield, terminal and infrastructure investments at the city's airports.
Lack of body cameras fuels suspicion in Chicago shooting
Read full article: Lack of body cameras fuels suspicion in Chicago shootingAuthorities have said they found a gun at the scene, but they acknowledge that the officers who shot him were not wearing cameras. After Allen was shot on Sunday, activists immediately seized on the news that the officers were not wearing body cameras. These details are uncorroborated, partially because CPD also claims there is no body camera footage available for this interaction, the group said. Questions about the lack of body cameras extend beyond activist groups. Chicago police have also used body camera footage to show that officers acted properly, possibly heading off the kind of rampage that unfolded this week.
Police contracts can stand in the way of accountability
Read full article: Police contracts can stand in the way of accountabilityA police officer engages with a protester Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Seattle, where streets had been blocked off in an area demonstrators had occupied for weeks. Seattle police showed up in force earlier in the day at the "occupied" protest zone, tore down demonstrators' tents and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks. The "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" zone was set up near downtown following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Police contracts can stand in the way of accountability
Read full article: Police contracts can stand in the way of accountabilityCollective bargaining agreements for officers provide protections that stand in the way of accountability, even when the federal government is overseeing an agency through a consent decree, experts said. Contracts designed to ensure officers receive fair wages and benefits have spilled over into public policy. “These examples bolster the hypothesis that some union contract provisions may impede effective investigations of police misconduct and shield problematic officers from discipline,” Rushin said. The city entered into a settlement agreement, or consent decree, the following year and passed an accountability measure for additional oversight. One Seattle officer who benefited from the union contract in recent years was Cynthia Whitlach.
The Latest: Man shot during protest over New Mexico statue
Read full article: The Latest: Man shot during protest over New Mexico statue(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)TOP OF THE HOUR:— Man shot as protesters in New Mexico try to tear down statue. — Seattle City Council votes unanimously to bar police from using tear gas and pepper spray. ___ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man was shot Monday night as protesters in New Mexico’s largest city tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum. Moments later a few gunshots could be heard down the street and people started yelling that someone had been shot. Gallegos said officers used tear gas and flash bangs to protect officers and detain those involved in the shooting.
Video evidence increasingly disproves police narratives
Read full article: Video evidence increasingly disproves police narrativesCellphone video showed him pleading for air as other officers stood by and bystanders urged the police to help him. The department realized the statement was inaccurate hours later when the bystander video surfaced, and immediately requested an FBI investigation, he said. But more than a year later, video was released showing that McDonald was veering away when he was shot by officer Jason Van Dyke, who was later convicted of second-degree murder. False public statements made by police departments and their leaders are more of a political issue" than a legal one, he said. The availability of video and a fast-moving news cycle accelerated by social media have put extra pressure on police department public information officers.
Mayor taps ex-Dallas chief to head Chicago police force
Read full article: Mayor taps ex-Dallas chief to head Chicago police forceFormer Dallas Police Chief David Brown, left, speaks to reporters after Mayor Lori Lightfoot, right, nominated him to be Chicago's next police superintendent Thursday, April 2, 2020. The third was Ernest Cato, a deputy chief on the Chicago police force. The mayor said one of the things that most impressed her about Brown was that he implemented many reforms in Dallas that the Chicago department is now trying to introduce. During his tenure in Dallas, Brown took steps that were controversial among officers, including making use-of-force data public. In December, just days after Johnson announced his retirement and Lightfoot named Beck as the interim superintendent, the mayor abruptly fired Johnson.
Report: 16 officers participated in Laquan McDonald cover-up
Read full article: Report: 16 officers participated in Laquan McDonald cover-upVan Dyke was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison in January following his conviction of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. Van Dyke fired seconds after arriving on scene and took 15 seconds to fire 16 shots. Van Dyke continued to fire, unloading every round from his 9-mm Smith & Wesson handgun. They included police claims that McDonald pointed his knife at Van Dyke, who was forced to backpedal and fired to stop an imminent threat. The deputy chief also falsely said in Van Dyke's tactical response report that McDonald "continued to approach" the officer.
4 Chicago officers fired over cover up' in Laquan McDonald shooting
Read full article: 4 Chicago officers fired over cover up' in Laquan McDonald shootingFour Chicago police officers have been fired for covering up the 2014 fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager, the Chicago Police Board said Thursday. Stephen Franko, Officer Janet Mondragon, Officer Daphne Sebastian and Officer Ricardo Viramontes to be "discharged from the Chicago Police Department." "Indeed, taken on their face, the officers' accounts depict a scene in which Mr. McDonald was the aggressor and Officer Van Dyke the victima depiction squarely contradicted by reality. Police initially said McDonald lunged toward officers with a knife, prompting Van Dyke to open fire six seconds after getting out of his squad car. Last year, Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery.