Laurence Miller will testify that Jason Van Dyke feared for his life when he shot Laquan McDonald, and that this mortal terror helps explain the discrepancies between his and other police reports and the videotape of the shooting.
Tag: Police Shootings
A jury expert weighs in on what to expect in the Jason Van Dyke trial
“People try to get out of jury duty, but what we find is that once they are actually on a jury they take it seriously and they want to get it right.”
Caught between black and blue
Was the police shooting of Harith Augustus justified? Is Blue Lives Matter for white cops only? Three black Chicago-area officers talk about what things look like from where they stand.
365 Ways to Kill an American offers a new perspective on police brutality
The reenactments in Jordan Rome’s video series are designed so white people will empathize with the victims—and then take action.
Dael Orlandersmith channels the voices of Ferguson in Until the Flood
Derived from dozens of interviews, a series of eight monologues shows a wide range of perspectives.
Emanuel launches new climate change section on city website using information deleted from EPA, and other Chicago news
Also, there’s speculation that Forrest Claypool’s days at Chicago Public Schools are numbered.
Patrick Kennedy: RFK assassination allows Chris Kennedy to understand Chicago violence ‘better than most,’ and other news
Also, pending a Cook County judge’s decision, CPS is hoping that it will be in a position to decide the final day of the school year by May 1.
Deportation fears, rumors are affecting businesses in Little Village, and other Chicago news
Also, even former governor George Ryan thinks the state budget impasse is a disaster.
Chance the Rapper rules the Grammys with three major wins, and other Chicago news
Also, state rep Christian Mitchell proposes legislation to eliminate money bond in Illinois courts.
No Obama commutation for former governor Rod Blagojevich, and other Chicago news
Also, the opening site of the Chicago Women’s March, now expecting around 50,000 participants, has been moved again.
Former CPD chief Garry McCarthy gets a surprise subpoena in the Sandi Jackson-Jesse Jackson Jr. divorce case, and other Chicago news
Also, a lot of Illinois elected officials are skipping the Trump inauguration.
Progressive Caucus aldermen ask DOJ to investigate city law department, and other Chicago news
Also, the head of the local Fraternal Order of Police responds to the DOJ report.
2016 was the year Chicago finally got serious about police reform
But it was also the year many citizens became convinced that reform is impossible.
How protests in Ferguson inspired the occupation of ‘Freedom Square’
Before Chicago activists set up camp at Homan Square, Ferguson activists camped across from police headquarters for 47 straight days.
Killing a cop is a horrible crime—but it’s not a hate crime
Even the Dallas tragedy is a poor rationale for a “Blue Lives Matter” law in Chicago.