Garry McCarthy, the top cop in Chicago, has been fired. A wave of protest in response to the video release of Laquan McDonald’s lynching at the hands of a Chicago police officer is the direct cause of McCarthy’s removal. The cop, Jason Van Dyke, has been charged with murder.
Street protests included a dramatic mass shutdown of Black Friday in Chicago. Protesters called for the immediate punishment of McCarthy, Mayor Emanuel and Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez for the murder and the cover-up of the crime.
McCarthy’s firing is a victory. Mayor Emanuel is scrambling to save his job and career. That is good. But real justice requires much more. The system is vulnerable and it’s time to turn the heat up.
Garry McCarthy should be arrested and charged with murder. He knew about the police lynching and aided and abetted Van Dyke in avoiding capture and prosecution. He should also be charged with “Concealment of homicidal death” and obstruction of justice. McCarthy’s crimes are obvious under law and would be easy to prosecute if the city of Chicago were concerned about justice for Laquan McDonald, if the city were in the least bit concerned about justice for Black people.
Mayor Emanuel, Anita Alvarez and scores of cops are guilty of all three offenses too. They are straight-up criminals—according to the law. They covered up the murder and they should be immediately arrested and charged. People who use their power to protect lynchers cannot be allowed to walk freely among us—period.
A system that shields people in power who commit such egregious racist crimes needs to undergo sweeping reforms—it also needs to be replaced. The people must be in charge of their own communities, their own policing—everything in society must be liberated from the patrols of racists cops and the wealthy business people and bureaucrats they protect and serve.
