The city of Chicago said it will comply with a judge’s order and release a video of a police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times — images that some worry could lead to unrest, similar to protests that other cities have seen after police-involved deaths.
Activists, journalists and attorneys have been pushing for the video’s release for several months, especially after the family’s lawyers obtained the squad car dashcam video and described what they saw: McDonald armed with a small knife and walking away from a group of police officers, and Officer Jason Van Dyke opening fire from about 15 feet and continuing to shoot after the teen fell to the ground.
Jesse Jackson commented that an entire city now girds itself for possible demonstrations and riots. Once more community leaders anticipate that Chicago citizens will take to the streets — hopefully in nonviolent, disciplined demonstrations — to demand that Black Lives Matter. He added, if there are demonstrations when the tape is released on Wednesday, I hope citizens will protest with discipline, and demand a remedy. Chicago’s citizens should not have to demonstrate in the streets in order to be treated justly. Citizens of color should feel protected not threatened by the police whose salaries they help pay. Elected officials should worry less about covering up the horrors than about remedying them. Only action will heal the city’s wounds, and the time for it is long overdue.