Finally, we are starting to get a tiny bit of justice in this country regarding police brutality. The mythical, quasi religious imagery surrounding the police ("our Blue Angels") is beginning to crack and fray in the fanatical mindset of many Americans. The discomfort of reality and truth is starting to come into focus for the public.
Chicago Mayor Fires City's Top Cop In Wake Of Laquan McDonald Criticism (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/garry-mccarthy-fired_565dcce9e4b079b2818bc9b9?h53a0pb9)
Rahm Emanuel said Superintendent Garry McCarthy had become "a distraction."
https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/40_40/001900569bf4.jpg Kim Bellware (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kim-bellware) Reporter, The Huffington Post, 12/01/2015
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Police Department's top cop has been fired.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday that he had formally asked for the resignation of Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who Emanuel hand-picked as the city's top cop in 2011.
The 56-year-old officer has faced harsh criticism (https://abc7chicago.com/news/many-call-for-mccarthys-resignation-after-laquan-mcdonald-shooting/1104927/) for his handling of the high-profile shooting of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager shot 16 times in 2014 by a Chicago police officer (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/11/30/chicago-cop-who-shot-laquan-mcdonald-back-court/76555986/).
Emanuel praised McCarthy Tuesday as an "excellent leader" throughout his tenure, but said his appointee was now "a distraction." The mayor said the city's police leadership had been "shaken."
"I have a lot support and confidence in the work and results he has done,"Emanuel said of the officer. "But our goal is to build the trust and confidence with the public."
"At this point -- in this juncture in the city -- he has become an issue rather than dealing with the issue," he said.
Chief John Escalante, McCarthy’s deputy, will serve as police commissioner until a new superintendent is appointed.
Last Tuesday, (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/laquan-mcdonald-video_5654e329e4b079b281897fc2) McCarthy and Emanuel appeared in a joint press conference ahead of the release of damning dashcam footage from the 2014 shooting. The video shows the officer, Jason Van Dyke, gunning down the teen in the middle of the street as he walks away from police. Both the department and the mayor's office had tried to keep the recording from going public.
The embattled mayor, who is facing calls (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rahm-emanuel-laquan-mcdonald_5655e2a2e4b072e9d1c15efb) for his own resignation, broke the news of McCarthy's firing during a press conference to announce the city's new police accountability task force.
Shandi
12-01-2015, 11:21 AM
But what about this? "Emanuel praised McCarthy Tuesday as an "excellent leader". How could an excellent leader become a killer? This "mug" shot shows something different, but I guess mug shots don't really show the real person. He's probably a really nice guy....who just got triggered. He and his family deserve our compassion and caring support through therapy, not incarceration.
33790
...Emanuel praised McCarthy Tuesday as an "excellent leader" throughout his tenure, but said his appointee was now "a distraction." The mayor said the city's police leadership had been "shaken." ...
Valley Oak
12-01-2015, 12:23 PM
Emanuel's comments are purely political--and a necessary evil. If the Mayor's comments had been, "...and that scumbag, killer cop is in jail and the other pig is now looking for work, etc," then the public would start screaming and demanding Emanuel's resignation immediately!
I don't think that "keeping it real" works 100% of the time. It is something that politicians understand better than most people do.
But what about this? "Emanuel praised McCarthy Tuesday as an "excellent leader". How could an excellent leader become a killer? This "mug" shot shows something different, but I guess mug shots don't really show the real person. He's probably a really nice guy....who just got triggered. He and his family deserve our compassion and caring support through therapy, not incarceration.
Valley Oak
12-01-2015, 05:23 PM
Here is some more clarity over this case:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhWo3kf__KM
But what about this? "Emanuel praised McCarthy Tuesday as an "excellent leader". How could an excellent leader become a killer? This "mug" shot shows something different, but I guess mug shots don't really show the real person. He's probably a really nice guy....who just got triggered. He and his family deserve our compassion and caring support through therapy, not incarceration.
Shandi
12-01-2015, 06:30 PM
Videos do help in clarifying what actually happened. Does anyone believe that this officer should be shown clemency, and given psychiatric treatment? Why or why not? Up until this incident, he was well respected as an "excellent leader".
What are the appropriate questions here? Are there any? There are families on both sides affected by this tragedy, and are suffering. Will private family issues be exposed on both sides? An angry young man with a knife who, from the "hearsay" may have been on a heavy drug. A upstanding cop (that's verified) with a gun who fired 19 times. This reminds me of other young men of color who've been brutally gunned down all over the U.S. and one in Santa Rosa, because he had a toy gun and didn't obey the order. Did we probe that murder? Did the killer get off? Yes he did. And this one may too.
Should we be probing into these scenarios? In my opinion, we should. Taking someone's life without just cause of "true" self defense, should remove all privacy and protection. If examining previous activities and statements along with extensive testing shows mental illness, then the consideration of care and treatment may make sense. But then I believe that anyone who kills in this manner is not well in mind or spirit. This wasn't premeditated, it was an act of unjustified rage. Should we seek to uncover the cause of that rage? Some will try to bring "clarity" to this brutal act, and I for one, am glad to know that. Maybe the cop was on drugs, alcohol or some other mind altering substance that would cause this reaction. We may even find out that he was on prescription drugs that may have influenced his behavior. His partner might even provide clues.
And yes, I'm including the Sebastopol double homicide. Tragedies like this will not be swept away, but will be probed for many years to come, and eventually someone may make a lot of money with a book and film. We've all seen that, and being the curious humans that we are, some of us may want to learn what we can't know from the media. Truth will rise to the top, though it may take a very long time.
Here is some more clarity over this case:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhWo3kf__KM
Valley Oak
12-02-2015, 04:32 PM
Officer Van Dyke has been charged with murder because of the evidence in the video I provided earlier in this thread.
When Mayor Emanuel praised an officer as an “excellent leader,” he was referring to the top cop in the Chicago Police Dept., not the accused killer of Laquan McDonald, officer Van Dyke.
Officer Van Dyke is NOT an upstanding cop, contrary to your assertion, “A upstanding cop (that's verified)…” In fact, the opposite is true. Where do you get your information? Please cite your sources. My news sources, in this case, are from The Young Turks News Network and The Daily Beast / Mediaite.
Shandi, I’m under the impression that you did not watch the video I provided, or you did not finish it, or you did not pay careful attention. It lasts 13 minutes but I understand if you are too busy to watch it all the way through. The video, from the Chicago Police Department’s patrol car’s dashcam, shows how Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald 16 TIMES, fourteen of those shots were fired AFTER McDonald WAS ON THE GROUND. Laquan McDonald was 17 years old.
The truth has ALREADY risen to the top, after the Chicago PD withheld their dashcam video for MORE THAN ONE YEAR, and were ordered by a judge to finally release it. The Chicago PD withheld the evidence because, as you say, the truth would rise to the top. It already took a very long time, more than 400 days.
There are statements regarding this case that are examples of White Privilege. When a White person does something wrong, people say things like, “Oh, he’s probably a nice guy anyway” And other folks will say, “that young black kid was probably just another THUG.”
Officer Van Dyke has EIGHTEEN complaints on his record for infractions, including EXCESSIVE force, and ILLEGAL arrests. Despite all of this abhorrent conduct, the Chicago PD had NEVER formally disciplined Van Dyke.
Van Dyke is NOT a nice guy. Far from it. Period.
Videos do help in clarifying what actually happened. ...
Shandi
12-02-2015, 05:32 PM
Edward, I actually mis-read the quote by Mayor Emanuel, and mistakenly took it to be referring to Van Dyke.
I did watch the video all the way through. My comments were actually tongue in cheek, cross referencing the recent double homicide in our community, implying that both "killers" mug shots don't show who they really are, nor do their previous criminal actions, which I'm not privy to.
I'm outraged by the on going murders of young men of color in this country. Any young man who decides to experiment with drugs, and be visible on the street is a neon target for gun happy police.
There's enough information out there now, that if these men value their lives, they need to be very wary
when in public, even if they're not on drugs. They are living in a white war zone, and they are the enemy.
Obviously, I'm over-booked! Usually I pay close attention to details, but I sure goofed on this one. Mea Culpa :wink2:
Officer Van Dyke has been charged with murder because of the evidence in the video I provided earlier in this thread.
When Mayor Emanuel praised an officer as an “excellent leader,” he was referring to the top cop in the Chicago Police Dept., not the accused killer of Laquan McDonald, officer Van Dyke.
Officer Van Dyke is NOT an upstanding cop, contrary to your assertion, “A upstanding cop (that's verified)…” In fact, the opposite is true. Where do you get your information? Please cite your sources. My news sources, in this case, are from The Young Turks News Network and The Daily Beast / Mediaite.
Shandi, I’m under the impression that you did not watch the video I provided, or you did not finish it, or you did not pay careful attention. It lasts 13 minutes but I understand if you are too busy to watch it all the way through. The video, from the Chicago Police Department’s patrol car’s dashcam, shows how Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald 16 TIMES, fourteen of those shots were fired AFTER McDonald WAS ON THE GROUND. Laquan McDonald was 17 years old.
The truth has ALREADY risen to the top, after the Chicago PD withheld their dashcam video for MORE THAN ONE YEAR, and were ordered by a judge to finally release it. The Chicago PD withheld the evidence because, as you say, the truth would rise to the top. It already took a very long time, more than 400 days.
There are statements regarding this case that are examples of White Privilege. When a White person does something wrong, people say things like, “Oh, he’s probably a nice guy anyway” And other folks will say, “that young black kid was probably just another THUG.”
Officer Van Dyke has EIGHTEEN complaints on his record for infractions, including EXCESSIVE force, and ILLEGAL arrests. Despite all of this abhorrent conduct, the Chicago PD had NEVER formally disciplined Van Dyke.
Van Dyke is NOT a nice guy. Far from it. Period.
Shandi
12-04-2015, 02:04 PM
After firing McCarthy, Emmanuel has bigger problem:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1143320/analysis-after-firing-mccarthy-emanuel-faces-bigger-problem
Now that Rahm Emanuel has gone against his political instincts by firing his larger-than-life police superintendent, the mayor faces an even bigger political dilemma that could define his legacy.
He must find a worthy replacement for Garry McCarthy without making worse racial tensions brought to a boil by the Laquan McDonald shooting video.
The video played around the world of a white Chicago Police officer pumping 16 rounds into the body of the black teenager not only sealed McCarthy’s fate. It also made the job of filling McCarthy’s shoes that much more difficult.
Hispanic elected officials will almost certainly demand that the permanent job be awarded to First Deputy Police Superintendent John Escalante, who will serve as acting superintendent until a permanent replacement is chosen.
But Escalante is already a political flashpoint. McCarthy’s decision to appoint him to replace retiring First Deputy Al Wysinger, who is African-American, infuriated the City Council’s Black Caucus and triggered demands for McCarthy’s ouster even before the Laquan McDonald video was made public.
Hispanics may also lobby behind the scenes for Hiram Grau, the former Chicago deputy superintendent and former state police director who was chosen by Emanuel to recommend police reforms as part of a five-member Task Force on Police Accountability.