Chicago protest demands: Justice for Laquan McDonald! Convict Van Dyke!

Chicago, IL – More than 100 people rallied at South Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway, Sept. 15, to demand justice for Laquan McDonald.

According to a statement from protest organizers, “[in] this past week of jury selection in the case of Jason Van Dyke for the murder of a 17-year-old Black youth, Laquan McDonald, we have witnessed only one Black juror being selected, and this is happening in a large city where one third of its population is African American.”

The demonstration was backed by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Black Lives Matter-Chicago, Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CTU), Take On Hate, Arab American Action Network, and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.

Frank Chapman, Field Organizer, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, “The criminal justice system in this city and nation has taken a dive into a deep, dark racist pit where there is no shame. Selecting only one Black juror out of 12 is indicative of how low they can go. Our people don’t have to send out distress signals to themselves, for we are living under the scourge of racism every day. But there comes a time when we must let the world know that we are tired, fired-up and can’t take it no more. That time is now.”