Photos by Melanie L. Brown
Activists in Chicago joined forces downtown on the Magnificent Mile to shutdown holiday spending in protest of the alleged murder of Laquan McDonald. He was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer. It took one year for the officer to be prosecuted. At the protest chants such as “No profit, no peace”, “16 shots” and more rang throughout the crowd of activists.
Thousands of people of all races descended upon Michigan Ave. Protestors locked arms and blocked store entrances, chanting and distracting would-be be shoppers. Eventually, the Water Tower, a major shopping site, was shut down along with the other shops on Michigan Ave.
Protests are expected to continue to bring attention to what happened to McDonald. The activists stated that State Attorney Anita Alvarez, Police Superintendent McCarthy and Mayor Emanuel should be fired for withholding the video of McDonald’s death from the public. Many also feel other information was withheld from the public and charges against the officer took too long.
