Protesters stormed through the city's famous landmark "Magnificent Mile" retail strip Friday to disrupt traffic and shopping days after the release of a video that showed a 17-year-old black man getting shot and killed by a white police officer.
The protesters chanted "16 shots, 14 months" which was in reference to the number of bullets that were fired at the victim, Laquan McDonald, as well as the number of months it took for the video to surface and the pursuit of charges against the suspect - Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke, NPR reported.
The protesters used Black Friday as the perfect day to start their campaign, hoping to dent the economy of Michigan Avenue and force the police commissioner to resign, pending a federal investigation into his department. However, Police Superintendent Carry McCarthy says that he has no intention of resigning, as he is supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, according to News Channel 3
"Since I got here, I've been talking about changing the culture of the Chicago Police Department in a positive fashion. There are some very good things about the Chicago Police Department that I found when I got here," McCarthy said this week. "We're building on those, and we're trying to revamp anything that's negative."
Despite the protests, shoppers continued to roam the streets, but certain major retailers were forced to shut down. Protesters were linked arm-in-arm to prevent customers from entering the shops. The demonstration was one of the largest that Chicago has ever seen.
Prosecutors charged Van Dyke with first degree murder on Tuesday, and he is being held without bond. His attorney said that Van Dyke feared for his safety after shooting McDonald and that the case should be tried at an official court and not in the court of public opinion, accoridng to the Associated Press.
