Above Photo: The release of the video showing former police Jason Van Dyke killing Laquan McDonald sparked public outrage. | Photo: AFP
CHICAGO (CBS) — Community against police violence staged demonstrations at all 22 police district stations in Chicago.
As CBS 2’s Derrick Blakley reports, protesters demanded truly independent oversight of police.
Marching directly from Palm Sunday Mass at St. Agatha Church, about 50 demonstrators sang their way right into the Ogden District Station.
“As children are accountable and people of faith are accountable, then our police need to be accountable for their behavior,” said St. Agatha’s parishioner Sharaya Tindal.
At the Grand Central District, cops erected barricades to keep demonstrators outside, but the message was the same: a demand for a new agency to investigate shootings by police.
“We have a system that protects rogue cops and demoralizes the majority of the very good ones,” said Rev. Ira Acree.
Protesters insisting, the widely discredited independent police review authority must go and called for an outside auditor independent of the mayor.
As protesters listed names of people killed by police, they voiced their hopes as well.
“All we’re asking for is a safe community and a fair chance for all our young children to grow and live in peace,” said St. Agatha’s parishioner Derrick Strongs.
While pressing for removal of bad apples from the police, the protesters offered apples as a goodwill gesture, a symbol of support amidst calls for accountability.
The citywide protests were coordinated by the community renewal society, which notes Chicagoans paid out nearly $500-million in settlements for police misconduct since 2004.
Community Renewal Society is also hoping to get an alderman to sponsor their proposed ordinance and bring it to the City Council.