Chicago mayor says 'sorry' for police misconduct in Laquan McDonald case

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Chicago mayor says 'sorry' for police misconduct in Laquan McDonald case

Rahm Emanuel denounces ‘code of silence’ in Chicago police department as
Justice Department and internal investigations get under way

Alan Yuhas in New York
Wednesday 9 December 2015 16.54 GMT

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel apologized on Wednesday for police misconduct and the fatal shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald, telling the city council, “I take responsibility for what happened because it happened on my watch.”

Emanuel said that Chicago needed to confront its failings and begin rebuilding trust. “The first step on that journey is my step,” he said. “And I’m sorry.”

The notoriously combative mayor made an unusually emotive address after a week that saw a Justice Department investigation arrive in the city and his worst approval ratings since taking office. Emanuel called for “nothing less than complete and total reform to the system and the culture that it breeds”, and denounced a “code of silence” practiced by police for decades.

“No officer should be allowed to behave as if they’re above the law just because they are responsible for upholding the law,” he said. “Permitting and protecting even the smallest acts of abuse, by a tiny fraction of our officers, leads to a culture where extreme acts of abuse are more likely, just like what happened to Laquan McDonald.”

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/weather/2015/dec/09/rahm-emanuel-chicago-police-misconduct-laquan-mcdonald-shooting

[Facility Inspector]

1. Fuck Rahm

Fuck his "journey"

Fuck his apology.

STEP DOWN RAHM

[jeff47]

2. Oh, well THAT makes it all better now!!

[LittleBlue]

3. Show us how sorry you really are and fall on your sword

Not that sorry, huh?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. "Sorry 'bout that" almost cuts it

Now we need to prosecute not only the shooter, but all those who covered evidence, lied in statements, erased video.

And we need to accept the Mayor's apology, if it's accompanied by a resignation from office.

[ljm2002]

5. Oh that's rich...

...after covering up the Laquan McDonald case for over a year, initially to help out his election chances -- now he wants to chide his own PD for a "code of silence"?????

Fuck you Rahm.

[bullwinkle428]

6. Yes, I'm sure the secret $5 million settlement was done completely

without his knowledge.

[Facility Inspector]

12. They should have a 24/7 event at his house

[KamaAina]

8. Chicago mayor IS 'sorry'

a sorry excuse for a mayor.

[panader0]

16. This is the line my dad used on me whenever I said "i'm sorry."

[global1]

9. This Is Typical For Rahm - He's Out Now To Save His Own Skin.....

and he'll be pointing fingers to absolve himself.

I'm wondering when the Chicago Police Dept starts turning on Rahm. He's blaming them - but I don't think that they will shoulder all the blame and I see an internal battle resulting in an external battle between the CPD and Rahm.

Things are going to get interesting here in Chicago. I believe the only way to gain back the People of Chicago's trust is for the DOJ investigation proceed and clean out the CPD and for Alverez (state's attorney) and Rahm to resign.

The DOJ investigation needs to probe into the administration of the city with respect to the $5 mil settlement and how the Mayor handled that. This should include the aldermen of the city as well - as this had to be approved by them.

Again - the fix was in. Rahm had an election to win. If the video was made public before the election - he would most probably lost the black vote and hence the election. The $5 mil settlement was a plan to sweep this under the rug. The video coming out spoiled this plan and set the wheels in motion to charge the officer just as the video was being made public.

There was a lot going on behind the scenes to make this happen. It would be interesting to see if there is any paper or e-mail trail around that implicates any of the players.

Rahm is a good actor. His apology today and his saying he is responsible is just that - an act. Unfortunately for him - the People of Chicago got his number. They know what he is trying to do and they won't stop and will continue to put pressure on him until he resigns.

[tencats]

10. Also today, another video of a police killing waits to be released

Also on Wednesday, a federal judge said he would rule by Jan. 14, 2016, on whether to release video in the shooting death by Chicago Police of another black teen. The mother of Cedrick Chatman, 17, has sued the city over Chatman’s death on Jan. 7, 2013. The city has opposed release of video in the case.

Another court battle being waged over release of fatal police shooting video
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-fatal-chicago-police-shooting-videos-met-20151202-story.html

As Chicago reels from public images of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald being fatally shot by a police officer, another court battle is being waged over the secrecy of footage purportedly showing another black teenager being fatally shot by a white cop almost three years ago.

Attorneys said surveillance cameras captured a police officer shooting 17-year-old Cedrick Chatman as he fled from officers in the South Shore neighborhood in January 2013. Chatman had only a black iPhone box in his hand, a lawyer who represents Chatman's mother said in a federal lawsuit.

As part of the court fight, city attorneys have succeeded in keeping the videos under a protective order and out of public view. In the latest bid to make the videos public, attorney Brian Coffman, who represents Chatman's mother, filed a motion Wednesday seeking to overturn a judge's order keeping the footage confidential.

[Iggo]

11. Fuck sorry.

:middlefinger:

[KG]

13. rahm is a shitbag

[bigwillq]

14. Sorry excuse for a mayor and politician is more like it.

Rahm is terrible.

[hifiguy]

15. A man with all the sincerity of Jimmy Swaggart

and "really a congenital cheap pig in the style of and on the level of Richard Nixon." (Hunter S. Thompson) And another applicable HST quote "a man with the ethics of a hyena and the personal style of a poison toad."