In the wake of mounting controversy surrounding the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by ChicagoofficerJames Van Dyke, Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for the resignation of Chicago Police Department Superintendent Garry McCarthy. "Our goal is to build the trust and confidence with the public," Emanuel said during a press conference, according to the International Business Times. "And at this point and at this juncture in the city, given what we are working on, he has become an issue rather than dealing with the issues."
Though the decision to dramatically alter the course of the Chicago Police Department is most certainly the right move, criticism regarding the city's handling of McDonald's killing goes much deeper than just the cops. As reported by Gawker, many claims place the blame for "mysteriously deleted" security footage from a Burger King firmly on CPD officers, implying a cover-up. Earlier this week, leaked security footage from inside that Burger King "appeared to show" CPD officials at the restaurant’s computer terminal.
The initial press release from department officials also falsely stated that McDonald had lunged at officers with a knife, an assertion that the dashcam footage simply doesn't support. Though Emanuel seemed convinced on Tuesday that Chicago needed to swiftly and thoroughly examine its police department's shortcomings, a recentNew York Times op-ed suggests that Emanuel and the Chicago's top prosecutor Anita Alvarez went to "great lengths" to halt the release of that footage.
