Chicago protests triggered by police shooting persist on Black Friday

CHICAGO — Protesters took to the streets in the midst of Black Friday shopping on Chicago's iconic Magnificent Mile as they continue to make their push for broad reforms in the Windy City in the wake of a police video showing a white police officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times.

The latest demonstration comes after Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged on Tuesday with first-degree murder for the Oct. 20, 2014, shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and the release of the video on that same day. The video's release has set off days of largely peaceful but angry protests by young activists in Chicago's downtown, drawing national attention on the city.

Friday's protests drew hundreds that crowded North Michigan Avenue, a shopping strip that includes high-end retailers like Hugo Boss, Cartier, and Gucci, on traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The protest was much larger and diverse than demonstrations earlier this week. Students with fraternity sweatshirts and union workers mingled with young black organizers who have been on the streets since Tuesday.

Together they chanted "16 shots and you can't shop" and "say his name: Laquan McDonald." They locked arms in front of store entrances, making it difficult for shoppers to go in and out.

When protesters tried to rush en masse into Water Tower Place, a flagship mall in the city's North Michigan Avenue shopping district, security locked the doors -- keeping shoppers shut in for a short period of time.

Most shoppers appeared to take the protests in stride. Many stopped to watch and took photos of the spectacle from the sidelines.

But there were also clashes. Several protesters scuffled with a man who tried to shove his way into a Guess store they were blocking. In the skirmish, Denise Julian, a Chicago public school teacher had some of her hair torn out. Police intervened to defuse the situation. The protesters complained that police didn't arrest the man that pulled Julian's hair.

Khailid Parrett, a protester who took part in the temporary blockade of the Guess store, said what he and his fellow protesters were doing was justified.

"It's about redistributing the pain," Parrett said. "If we get hurt, you gotta hurt too. And the only place that some Americans know about hurt is when it comes to their pockets."

Some shoppers were frustrated and did not see how stopping people from shopping furthered their cause. Domitilla Cordaero complained to an officer after protesters prevented from entering the Gap. The officer told her he couldn't help her, and she should try coming back later.

"I understand the problems they have," Cordaero said of the protesters. "But nothing is really going to change closing the shops."

A coalition of young black activist organizations are calling for the resignations of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Cook County Prosecutor Anita Alvarez. They're also calling for Justice Department investigation of the police department's handling of the incident.

Emanuel, who was forced to release the chilling dashcam video this week by court-order, has come under withering criticism for his handling of the shooting incident. They've also complained that Emanuel's administration spends too much money on policing, while the mayor has chosen to shut down 50 schools in predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods to try to mitigate the city's financial problems.

Even before the video was released, a coalition of black city council members had called for McCarthy's firing, citing concerns about the rising homicide toll in the city in 2015. They aldermen also complain that the superintendent had made little effort to hire and promote African-American officers.

Meanwhile, Alvarez, who is facing a March 15 primary, has come under fire by both activists and politicians, including Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who say she moved too slowly to charge Van Dyke and mishandled the prosecution of a separate case in which an off-duty officer was found not-guilty for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death a Rekia Boyd, a 22-year-old unarmed black woman.

The "cover-up conspiracy of Laquan’s death is proof that Alvarez, Emanuel, and CPD do not stand for justice and are corrupt public servants," said Rachel Williams, an organizer for Black Youth Project 100. "Our communities are less safe because of their decisions and they are unqualified to lead and protect our city."

On Friday, McCarthy told reporters that he had no intention of resigning.

Hundreds protest as Chicago releases video of cop shooting teen 16 times

"I have never quit on anything in my life," McCarthy said. "The mayor has made it very clear that he has my back. If people peel away the onion on what's happening right now in the policing world, you're going to find a police department that is doing an exceptional job and quite frankly I'm not going to quit on the people of Chicago and I'll never quit on these men and women."

While protests earlier this week were dominated by younger activist groups, such as Black Youth Project 100 and We Charge Genocide, several prominent established African-American activists and politicians were out in the streets marching on Friday. Rush and the Rev. Jesse Jackson were among the marchers, and Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called on teachers to support the youth activists.

The teachers union even paid for a robocall by Jackson on Thursday that encouraged recipients to take part in the Black Friday protests.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Urban League has echoed the young protesters call for McCarthy to be fired and Alvarez to resign.

Chicago Black Caucus: 'We Were Misled' by City

"Accountability means just that, and change is warranted in what has clearly been a major miscarriage of justice," said the league's interim president and CEO Shari Runner.

McDonald was killed after police received a 911 call that the teen, wielding a small knife, was breaking into cars stealing radios.

In the video, McDonald can been seen walking down the middle of a busy thoroughfare on the city's Southwest Side. He appears to be walking away from police when he is first struck by bullets.

About two seconds after he falls and is lying on his side, two puffs of smoke can be seen. Prosecutors said the puffs of smoke were clouds of debris caused by fired bullets. The last visible shot was fired about 13 seconds later and his body has jerked and his arms have moved slightly, while he lays on the ground. At that point, an unidentified officer, who prosecutor's identified as Van Dyke's partner, approaches McDonald and kicks a small knife the teen is holding in his hand.

While at least five other officers were on the scene, Van Dyke is the only one who fired.

Graphic video of Chicago cop shooting needed to be seen

McCarthy said Friday that the protests, thus far, have gone "exceptionally well because of the professionalism of the Chicago Police officers.

"You guys have filmed it...people screaming (in the officers') faces, getting hit with spittle," McCarthy told reporters. "At the end of the day, I'm astounded by the professionalism by these men and women."