Photos: Hundreds Of Protesters Block Mag Mile During Black Friday Over Laquan McDonald Video
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Nov 27, 2015 9:02PM
Hundreds of protesters blocked the Magnificent Mile late Friday morning to protest the disturbing shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer and other examples of police misconduct.
The protesters, who including people from various local activist groups, the Black Lives Matter movement, the Chicago Teachers Union and more, marched north on Michigan Avenue during one of the busiest shopping days of the year for Chicago's tony retail district to draw attention to police brutality and other injustices.
The actions were sparked by the release of a chilling video of disgraced officer Jason Van Dyke shooting McDonald a total of 16 times as he fled police, fell to the ground and lay on the ground fatally wounded, according to court records. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder earlier this week.
Protesters tried to enter some stores but were denied entry by police, and choose instead to block storefront entrances long the Magnificent Mile. Police formed a solid wall on both sides of Michigan Avenue for an entire block to prevent protesters marching in the street from obstructing shoppers on the Michigan Avenue sidewalks, and some witnesses said police were only allowing white people who appeared to be shopping for Black Friday deals, and not protesters, to pass.
Reverend Jesse Jackson helped organize the march and spoke to protesters. There have been protests taking place around Chicago off and on since the video was released Tuesday night.