Protests Mark 2nd Anniversary of Laquan McDonald Shooting in Chicago

By Nereida Moreno, Chicago Tribune

21 October 16

bout 300 people gathered outside Chicago Police headquarters Thursday evening to mark the second anniversary of the death of Laquan McDonald, who was fatally shot by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke.

The crowd stood in front of 16 small yellow markers of the type police use to mark bullets at crime scenes, signifying the number of shots Van Dyke fired at McDonald.

After a prayer, Chicago-based rapper Rhymefest read a poem. Another speaker was Gwendolyn Moore, 56, a South Side resident whose son, Jamaal Raymond Moore was 23 when he was shot and killed by police four years ago.

"It's important to talk about because the system has created injustice for its people. If we don't voice how we feel and just lay down with blinders on, it will not change. I don't want to see another child dead on the streets. It doesn't matter, black brown, white, we are all one,” she said.

Activist William Calloway organized the event and led a balloon release to commemorate the more than 600 people who have been killed in Chicago this year.

"At this rate we might see more than 700 homicides in the city," he said "We have to come together as a community as a city to end this gun violence, put an end to gang violence... we just can't sit back and put the blame on the police all the time. We have to hold ourselves accountable."

If the Illinois Legislature fails to pass the Laquan McDonald Act, which would allow for the recall of Chicago's mayor and aldermen and the Cook County state's attorney, Calloway said "we're shutting down the Mag Mile on Black Friday."

Jamaica West, 23, a volunteer from North Lawndale, said it's "a social responsibility to stand for all levels of injustice."

"I'm here hoping to seek out justice for our community, justice in our policing and our justice in our judicial system. It's one step at a time.

She said the proposed Laquan McDonald Act would help recall elected officials who violate the law. 

"If at that time we had the recall law, or what we now call the Laquan Law, we would've voted them out. It's on hopes that if God forbid it happens in the future, that we would be able to use that to call those people out that are covering up horrific crimes."

A group of about 20 people left the gathering at CPD headquarters to protest near the 4100 block of South Pulaski Road, where McDonald was shot and killed. Some pledged to camp out for 16 hours to symbolize the 16 times he was shot.