Emanuel Dismisses Police Supt. McCarthy
Citing public trust, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday dismissed embattled Police Supt. Garry McCarthy after recent protests over a police officer fatally shooting an African American teen.
“Superintendent McCarthy knows that a police officer is only as effective as when he has the trust of those he serves,” Emanuel said at a news conference at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.
Emanuel said he talked to McCarthy on Sunday about “public trust in the leadership of the department [being] shaken and eroded.”
“This morning, I formally asked for his resignation,” Emanuel said.
He added, “Now is the time for fresh eyes and new leadership to confront the challenges the department and our community and our city are facing as we go forward.”
Aside from the shooting incident, McCarthy had been under fire for overall increased shootings in the city and the lack of African Americans in top police positions.
Emanuel said First Deputy Supt. John Escalante will serve as acting superintendent until a permanent replacement is named.
Emanuel also announced he has established a task force to look at police accountability.
The panel members include Sergio Acosta, a former federal prosecutor; Joe Ferguson, Chicago’s inspector general, Hiram Grau, former director of the Illinois State Police and a former police deputy superintendent; Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Police Board president and Randolph Stone, University of Chicago law professor.
Deval Patrick, a former Massachusetts governor and former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, will serve as a senior advisor to the task force. He is a Chicago native.
Emanuel took action after hundreds of protestors marched along the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) in Chicago last week.
Protestors called for the resignation of McCarthy and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez after a controversial tape was released last week of a fatal police shooting in October, 2014 of an African American teen.
Marchers also called for a special panel appointed to investigate the case.
“I am here for justice,” said James Washington, 70, who added that he decided to get involved with the protest after he saw the dash-cam video tape of the shooting. “What is going on is not fair.”
On Nov. 24, Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago Police officer, was charged with fatally shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
On the same day, the tape was released of Van Dyke shooting McDonald, following a judge’s decision to make the tape available to the public.
The video sparked outrage.
Even President Barack Obama issued a statement: “Like many Americans, I was deeply disturbed by the footage of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. . . And I’m personally grateful to the people of my hometown for keeping protests peaceful.”
Among the largest protests was the one on Black Friday that Washington joined near Michigan Avenue’s busy shopping district. The protest was unprecedented.
In the rain, the protesters staged an economic boycott and closed down for hours, many of the stores on Michigan Avenue in protest of the McDonald shooting.
Protestors blocked entrances to stores. Sometimes, customers attempting to enter the stores tussled with the protestors.
At an Apple store, dozens of protesters shouted “No iphones today,” as they blocked an entrance. At one point, only employees were inside the store.
At least four people were arrested during the protests.
Many of the city’s most high profile political and religious figures participated in the march, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., the Rev. Michael Pfleger, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (1st Dist.), U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (7th Dist.), Ill. State Sen. Jacqueline Collins (16th Dist), Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin (1st Dist.) and Chicago Ald. David Moore (17th Ward).
Earlier last week, the Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus also questioned why it took 13 months to charge Van Dyke with the shooting.
“It’s politically motivated that you decide to do it at this time when you have generously had 10 months – I won’t even go back to the full 13 months – to make a determination to file charges and didn’t,” said Chicago Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th Ward), who recently called for McCarthy to be replaced.
The Chicago Citizen Newspaper contacted Emanuel’s office and asked, when it was he first saw the tape of the shooting. Press aide, Chole Rasmas, who said she wasn’t sure when Emanuel first saw the tape, referred the Chicago Citizen Newspaper to Kelley Quinn, the Mayor’s Director of Communications. Calls and emails to Quinn were not answered by Chicago Citizen Newspaper press time.
Alvarez has maintained that she was planning to file charges after the FBI completed its investigation. She said she decided to charge the officer after learning the tape would be released “in the interest of public safety" and to assure the public those officials “are bringing a full measure of justice that this demands.”
McCarthy has been police superintendent since 2011. He is the former police chief of Newark in New Jersey.
He could not be reached for comment.
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