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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
December 16-22, 2015
Page A-5
Emanuel apologizes for McDonald shooting as calls for his resignation intensify By Lynette Holloway REAL TIMES MEDIA
Embattled Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stood before city leaders and issued a heartfelt apology for the police shooting of Laquan McDonald on Wednesday. “If we’re going to fix it, I want you to understand it’s my responsibility with you,” Emanuel said. “But if we’re also going to begin the healing process, the first step in that journey is my step, and I’m sorry.” The apology came just days after U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that the Department of Justice has launched a civil “pattern and practice investigation” into the department. The probe was prompted by the release of a video that shows the black 17-year-old being shot 16 times on Oct. 20, 2014 by white ex-police officer Jason Van Dyke. The teen was shot more
than 10 times after falling to the ground. Civil rights leaders, residents, and some elected officials immediately called on Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and Emanuel to resign as the mayor beat back accusations that both sat on the recordings until his re-election was sealed last April. Both have refused to resign. But Emanuel has collected a number of firings and resignations within the police department since the video was released, including Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. McCarthy was quickly followed by chief of detectives Constantine “Dean” Andrews, who retired, andScott Ando, formerly head of the Independent Police Review Authority, who stepped down on Sunday. More heads are expected to roll. But the apology is too little, too late. If Emanuel was serious, not only would he have apologized
Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, is caught between Emanuel and a hard place. Obama has been vocal about ending police violence and the systems that support it, including ending exorbitant court fees and long prison sentences. But the president has hardly said anything in support of the mayor. He is hindered by a federal probe from speaking about the video. But in a Facebook post that came days, not weeks, after the McDonald footage was released, Obama called the video disturbing.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel immediately, he would have apologized to the residents of the city and not elected officials. Now, it just looks like an apology that comes after a botched public relations response. The good news is that Chicagoans have finally found a voice outside the usual political structure
Russell Simmons addresses open letter to Donald Trump with NewsOne Now By Christina Coleman NEWSONE
Russell Simmons, a longtime friend of presidential hopeful Donald Trump, joined Roland Martin on NewsOne Now to discuss an open letter he wrote denouncing the Republican’s anti-Muslim comments. “I probably lost my friendship with him when I said I’d rather Kim Kardashian be president than Donald Trump,” Simmons said. “I didn’t think he would be the president or that he would be a contender for the president and so our friendship is not worth it — there is something much bigger than us and that is what’s at stake in this country.” “What’s scary is how many people applauded at the kind of statements he is making,” Simmons continued, referencing Trump’s recent proposal to ban all Muslim travel into the United States. “The Planned Parenthood attack was a Christian terrorist act. People don’t know that Muslim communities are conducting peace rallies all over this
country and they are not being reported by the media…They are the most vocal not only against ISIS, but all terrorism and all extreme views,” Simmons said. In a letter posted to GlobalGrind. com, the Def Jam co-founder previously called Trump out, urging him to “stop the bulls---” and end his anti-Islam, xenophobic rhetoric. Simmons has not heard from Trump since the release of his letter. You can watch the entire clip above. Since the announcement of a proposal to ban all Muslim travel into the United States “until our country’s representatives can figure out what’s going on,” Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has been has staving off criticism with a strategic round of media appearances to defend a xenophobic and dangerously unconstitutional plan. It’s not clear if Trump read Simmons’ letter, but during a round of interviews this week, Trump ensured the public that his Muslim friends agreed with his plan.
and we hope they continue to use it in the form of constructive protests. Once the dust settles, evidence will emerge that Chicago’s problems look a lot like those in Ferguson, Mo., but on steroids, because it’s a larger city.
Emanuel, a native of the city, was first elected in 2011 after serving as Barack Obama’s chief of staff during the president’s first term. Obama, the former Illinois senator who lived on Chicago’s South Side with First Lady Michelle
But Emanuel is not hindered by the same constraints as the president to some degree, and he should have spoken out sooner instead of waiting to see if he had a crisis on his hands and then apologize. Meanwhile, calls grow louder for him to resign.
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Through January 18, 2016. Tickets at dia.org.
This exhibition has been organized by the Rubell Family Collection, Miami. Funding for Free First Weekends has been provided for visitors by the Ford Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Support for the exhibition has been provided by the Friends of African and African American Art and DTE Energy Foundation. Additional support has been provided by MGM Grand Detroit, Dickinson Wright PLLC, Richard and Jane Manoogian FoundationImage: Noir, Barkley L. Hendricks, 1978, oil and acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami