More than a year later, death of Laquan McDonald haunts streets of Chicago
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Version 0 of 1. There’s a small memorial of candles, flowers and a sign at the intersection of 41st and Pulaski Street in Chicago where 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by veteran cop James Van Dyke. Related: Laquan McDonald response reflects major shift in year since Ferguson riots However, the seemingly never-ending traffic on the now infamous four-lane road that McDonald crossed on 20 October 2014 before being gunned down doesn’t slow its pace to acknowledge the tragedy that happened more than 400 days ago and is now thrust into a global spotlight. Local residents carry on with their lives on the gloomy Chicago winter day as they prepare for the holiday weekend, and shrug at what many thought would push Chicago to mimic riots seen in Baltimore or Ferguson, Missouri, over the past year. “It’s crazy, man, to think of a body just lying right there,” a 17-year-old Latino teen who did not give his name said while standing with his younger sister and brother. “I take that bus from that stop every day.” The teen said he doesn’t live in the area, but commutes to the Archer Heights neighborhood everyday to see family from another predominantly Latino neighborhood called Little Village where he was born and raised. When asked if the revelation of the footage made him fear the police in the area, the teen responded: “Yeah, but no. I’ve always had feelings about the police here.” Most of the residents and people working in the neighborhood on Wednesday didn’t want to speak on the record about their experience in the area. However, they all expressed similar sentiments, skeptical that the city had waited to charge a man for first-degree murder only after authorities were forced by a judge to publicly release footage of the incident. Beyond this south-west neighborhood of the city, much of the rest of Chicago carried on with business as usual. No major demonstrations occurred during business hours across the city. Instead, activists involved in the first demonstrations revolving around the public release of the footage focused their attention on the bond hearing of the activist and poet Malcolm London, who was arrested at approximately 7.30pm on Tuesday night on a felony charge of aggravated assault after police say he hit an officer in the eye. During the arrest many activists present tried to stop the police vehicle transporting London to a police station by linking arms and sitting in the road. Chicago police began dragging some individuals to allow for the vehicle to exit the street in which the final protests were occurring that evening. Those involved on the scene denied the police’s assault allegations. On Wednesday in a packed courthouse, Judge Peggy Chiampas dropped the charges against London at a 1.30pm bond hearing as activists and black aldermen from around the city filled the room, and thousands of #FreeMalcolmLondon messages filled social media. As London walked out of the courthouse, dozens of protesters danced in celebration while chanting: “I believe that we will win!” Protesters celebrate news that felony charges against #MalcolmLondon, are being dropped. #LaquanMcDonald. pic.twitter.com/6yEpstuPEr As the city of Chicago begins to prepare for the holiday weekend, activists are focusing their sights on the annual shopping holiday the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Chicago’s Magnificent Mile shopping district as the site of the next major demonstration. Organizers hope to make Friday’s demonstration the “largest window shopping protest” in the city’s history. |