Gains against cop brutality inspire fights in Chicago

BY JOHN HAWKINS

CHICAGO — The indictment of the cop who killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and the firing of Chicago Police Chief Garry McCarthy have boosted the confidence of fighters against police brutality here. Family members and supporters of people killed by the cops whose calls for justice have been pushed aside by city officials are demanding that the cases be reopened.

“They all should go,” Panzy Edwards, mother of Dakota Bright, killed by Chicago cops in November 2012, told the Militant, referring to killer cops and the government officials who cover up for them. “All these cases need to be reopened — whether there’s a video or not — because it’s clear what the cops did in Laquan’s case they did in all the rest of them.”

For nearly three weeks, following the release of a police video showing the Oct. 20, 2014, killing of McDonald, working people and youth have staged almost daily protests to demand the prosecution of the cops involved, denounce the 13 months it took before Chicago officials agreed to release the video, and demand the resignations of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

Video footage shows McDonald walking away before police officer Jason Van Dyke shot him 16 times. Van Dyke was finally charged with first-degree murder Nov. 24.

Emanuel fired McCarthy Dec. 1, saying it was needed to rebuild “trust and confidence with the public.” The mayor addressed the City Council Dec. 9, apologizing for the killing of McDonald that “happened on my watch.”

While Emanuel spoke, demonstrators outside City Hall were demanding his resignation.

Later that evening at the meeting of the Chicago Police Board more than 200 people demanded the firing of Dante Servin, the cop who shot and killed Rekia Boyd in March 2012.

“Shooting unarmed men and women is not justice. Withholding dashcam videos is not justice,” Mark Bradford, one of 25 members of Fight for $15 who attended, told the board. “Lying on police reports is not justice. They are showing by their actions that they don’t think Black lives matter.”

Speaker after speaker pointed to other police killings: Philip Coleman, a video of which was released only days earlier; Cedrick Chatman, a video of which Chicago officials are still fighting to keep under wraps; Bright; and Darius Pinex and Flint Farmer, both killed by cop Gildardo Sierra.

“Anita Alvarez may have refused to charge the cop who killed my son, but that doesn’t end the matter,” said Dorothy Holmes, the mother of Ronald Johnson, who was killed by officer George Hernandez. “I’m going to keep on fighting until he pays for what he did.”

On Dec. 10 students from the American Medical Student Association, Student National Medical Association, Students for a National Health Program, White Coats for Black Lives, and the Latino Medical Student Association staged a 16-minute “die-in” — one minute for each shot fired at McDonald.

Later that evening close to 300 protesters organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression rallied and marched to City Hall. Among those speaking were Danelene Powell-Dickens, mother of 15-year-old Stephon Watts, killed by Calumet City cops in 2012; and Ralph Peterson, cousin of Darrin Hanna, killed by North Chicago cops in 2011.

Reflecting the impact of the protests in the area, Fox Lake officials released a video Dec. 11 that shows three cops roughing up Jeffrey Grzonka, a 36-year-old Caucasian worker, in December 2014. Three of four cops involved were suspended for up to 30 days. The fourth is on paid administrative leave.

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