The video that will rip Chicago apart — and why you need to see it

[Stellar]

There is a video that could tear Chicago apart.

It will go viral if released, and the world will see something ugly and frightening on the Southwest Side.

It comes from a police dashboard camera. City Hall worries that political hell may be on the way. Activists are primed. The politics of race and police use of force are at hand.

And a court hearing is scheduled for next week on whether it should be released to the public.

All this is going on just below the surface. All the players know what's at stake, so I thought you should know about it, too.

The video, without sound, is said to show Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old African-American reportedly with PCP in his system, holding a small knife. He was shot to death by a white Chicago police officer, Jason Van Dyke, on the night of Oct. 20, 2014, at 41st and Pulaski on the Southwest Side.

City officials said police, responding to a call of a man slashing tires, followed McDonald carefully and calmly as he wandered. They called for backup and Tasers. Then McDonald walked out onto Pulaski Road.

Only one cop opened fire, shooting 16 times in all, and the video is said to show the rounds hitting McDonald in the back, the legs, arms, neck and head, the bullets making the body jump again and again.

More: Chicago Tribune

[Stellar]

1. Need more eyes. nt

[SamKnause]

2. You have to register or subscribe to view the video.

Every news article takes you right back to the Chicago Tribune.

[Oilwellian]

10. There is a way around paying to read an article

Copy the title of the article, paste it into Google, go to link of site publishing the article, and voila! The full article is there.

On edit: The video hasn't been released yet.

[SamKnause]

11. Thank you.

[Heeeeers Johnny]

16. You can also enter a dummy email address

There's no email verification.

[hedda_foil]

3. Wow! This is from John Kass, who is basically a populist on the right, though not a winger.

The video is being withheld by Rahm and company, waiting for a court decision on whether or not it must be released. Apparently both the Federal and state attorneys general are investigating.

[Stellar]

4. He's new to me...thanks. nt

[hedda_foil]

6. You're welcome. Kass is a longtime columnist with the Chicago Tribune.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

5. That video belongs to the people of Chicago. Release it and let the cards fall where they may. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. They will release it after the trial

[Faux pas]

8. Kickin'

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. More from the article

"I was there, I saw it," he said. "He (McDonald) wasn't attacking anybody. He was looking for a way out. He was just trying to turn away. The kid turned away, was dropped at the first shot or two, and the police kept shooting and shooting. You could see his body moving.

"It freaked me out. It freaked my son out."

Reading or hearing about 16 shots pumped into the body of a young man isn't the same thing as seeing it.

If the video is released, many won't care about the drugs or the knife. Here's what will be seared on the American mind: the black body flinching with bullet after bullet from a white cop's gun.

I have not seen the video. "It's worse than anything that's come out this summer on police cases anywhere," said a source who has seen it. "He starts walking away from the officers. The first shot, he spins and falls to the ground. Then the officer continues to shoot, and intermittently, you see the body twitching and jerking from the rounds."

[Stellar]

12. OMG!!!

I can't take it.

[herding cats]

13. Witness accounts don't support the police story.

One man who said he has talked to federal authorities told me on Tuesday he'd been driving his son to the hospital and saw it all. The police union version was that McDonald "lunged" at the officer. The witness's account differs markedly.

"I was there, I saw it," he said. "He (McDonald) wasn't attacking anybody. He was looking for a way out. He was just trying to turn away. The kid turned away, was dropped at the first shot or two, and the police kept shooting and shooting. You could see his body moving.

"It freaked me out. It freaked my son out."

It's not much of a surprise they don't want the video released, but it should be.

[Stellar]

15. I can't watch though...

It reminds me of the climax in the movie, 'Bonnie and Clyde'...

[wheniwasincongress]

14. Does anyone know what day next week the court hearing is for?

edit I found it: November 18, a week from today. Next Wednesday. Judge Franklin Valderrama