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Question of the day

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* A quick perusal of the Interwebtubes produced four types of people to ignore in the LaQuon McDonald case.

* 1) The radical left


Reminder: Please don't endanger your ppl by documenting & tweeting images of illegal activity. That is evidence for police. #LaquanMcDonald

— Sharlyn Grace (@SharlynDGrace) November 26, 2015

Sheesh.

* 2) National conspiracy theorists and/or apologists for State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez

[Chicago politicians] want Alvarez to wear the jacket for it all.

Rahm seems to be throwing her under his bus, but he doesn’t want his fingerprints on her. So his ally, David Axelrod, threw her under.

Axelrod is a Rahm pal, but for years he was also the mouthpiece for former Mayor Richard Daley, and was the top political and media strategist for Obama. It’s a Chicago thing.

“Why did it take a year to indict a CPD officer who shot a kid 16 times?” Axelrod tweeted Tuesday night. “Would it have happened today if judge hadn’t ordered video release?”

That puts it on Alvarez. Does she deserve it?

I don’t think so. To me, she’s not the issue.

The video threatened Rahm Emanuel and his pursuit of power. Alvarez told reporters she’d been waiting for the feds to issue a joint announcement with her office. That didn’t happen.

Funny how things work out.

Axelrod’s tweet legitimizes a self-preservation tactic Chicago politicians have been pursuing for the last day or so: They know people are angry over what happened to 17-year-old McDonald. They want to be safe from that anger. So they’re directing the mob to go against Alvarez.

You’ll get zero excuses about Rahm from me. He was obviously covering things up. But we can’t ignore what Alavarez has done over the years. This was no one-off event.

* 3) Anyone in power who had anything to do with delaying this case

In announcing the charge against Van Dyke, State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said forensic testing revealed no evidence that anyone had intentionally erased the Burger King video. NBC5 News first broke the story about the missing footage.

“We have looked at those videos and … it doesn’t appear that it’s been tampered with,” Alvarez told reporters. […]

The officers stayed on the scene until almost midnight and even brought in their own information technology specialist when it appeared they were having trouble operating the system, [Jay Darshane, a Burger King district manager] said. […]

When the video system kicked back on, it recorded two police officers in the Burger King office who appeared to be looking at something on the monitor over and over, according to Michael Robbins, an attorney representing McDonald’s family.

Yeah, I’m sure they were looking over and over at nothing whatsoever.

She waited over a year to charge the cop, even though this appears to be an open and shut case, and then she says no tampering was done on the BK video and expects us to trust her.

Plus, unlike Emanuel, she’s up for reelection next year. She ought to face some heat.

* 4) Fascists

Others took a more draconian line. Vince Tribo, 84, was out shopping for underwear. He said he lived in Flossmoor but also keeps a downtown condo, and that he “doesn’t really believe in protesting.”

“I grew up in Italy under Mussolini — I wasn’t brought up with all this,” he confided with a smile, gesturing to the crowd, which was chanting that McDonald had been shot 16 times. “There was more discipline and law and order.

“My mother always said that before Mussolini came to power it was lawless,” he added, before gesturing to the crowd again and adding, “it was like this.”

Yikes.

* The Question: Your own nominations?

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:22 am

Comments

  1. Chicago media types who claim they aren’t being spoon-fed information quickly enough when they made no effort to engage in any independent reporting of their own.

    There’s a reason that the whistleblower went to Kalven regarding the video.

    Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:28 am

  2. The FOP

    They are going to take the police officer’s side no matter what-good cop or bad cop. Not exactly an unbiased opinion and they would do themselves some good to accept that there are bad police officers. It makes your case for the good look better if you are willing to kick out the bad.

    Comment by train111 Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:30 am

  3. “The cops are the real victims here.”

    Comment by walker Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:32 am

  4. Pat Camden. He was out in front of the cameras spreading the initial misinformation. Now that the video has been released…funny, but I haven’t seen him on the air lately. Maybe I just missed him.

    Comment by PublicServant Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:34 am

  5. Apologists for the police officers in these types of cases.

    Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:35 am

  6. Rahm and his police Supt. saw that video last year.. The Mayor wears the same jacket as Alvarez

    Comment by Not Rich Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:36 am

  7. “Geez Rich, stop throwing ‘fascist’ around like it doesn’t mean anyth…never mind.”

    Comment by loganvoter Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:36 am

  8. Anyone exploiting his death, including some candidates and some individuals who only show up to protest when the media is around.

    Comment by Short Memory Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:36 am

  9. People who just don’t get it - or can’t be bothered to try (from the Trib):

    “She nodded as her companion, Jay Krishnamurthy, 54, said, “the whole South Side is on fire. Why don’t they tackle the violence in their own communities?” She nodded again when he said of McDonald’s killing, “Mistakes do happen.”

    Comment by Archiesmom Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:38 am

  10. Blue Moon excuse:

    “Just one rogue cop, let’s move along.”

    Emanuel, McCarthy, Alvarez

    Comment by Wensicia Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:41 am

  11. People who think that if you are outraged over the shooting and/or protesting, you are anti-police.

    I support the cops, GOOD cops. That does not mean I can’t be outraged over the execution of this kid. Funny that the police haven’t figured out by supporting the murderer-cop, they are bringing more disdain to the good police that are out there.

    Comment by Jordan Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:41 am

  12. the “where are the protests for black on black violence?” people

    Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:41 am

  13. Should have said “People who think that if you are outraged over the shooting and ARE protesting, you are anti-police.”

    Comment by Jordan Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:42 am

  14. Aldermen. They knew what was there when they approved the $5 million payment.

    Comment by Keyrock Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:46 am

  15. The people who believe that beacause a 9 year old was killed, protesters should be ashamed of protesting this shooting instead of protesting Tyshawn Lee’s murder. As if you can’t be angry about multiple injustices.

    The Investment Business Daily who ran the op ed, “The System Workeds, So why are People Protesting?” It was all kinds of out of town stupid. The system isn’t supposed to require a lawsuit to get the video which causes an indictment.

    Comment by Carhartt Representative Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:47 am

  16. I am so sorry Capfax folks. I don’t get the radical left one. What’s a ppl mean? I even googled it and still don’t understand. Could someone explain. Thanks.

    Comment by Honeybear Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:51 am

  17. “the “where are the protests for black on black violence?” people”

    I agree and nominate this also, among other choices.

    There are plenty of anti-violence marches and demonstrations in regards to “black-on-black” violence. Ask Father Pfleger.

    Also, I don’t see what “black-on-black” violence has to do with police brutality. Those are two separate issues, to me.

    Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:52 am

  18. Those that feel that only african americans have a right to be outraged #mazesaid

    Comment by Namaste Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:54 am

  19. Those who blame the victim: “he shouldn’t have been using drugs” or “just do what the police tell you” or “well he had a knife, what did he expect”. It’s always shameful to blame a victim, but particularly in this context when the video is so clear.

    Comment by Ferris Wheel Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:56 am

  20. I also second the “where are the black-on-black violence” contenders. Well said by Grandson, they’re two separate issues. Both of which should - and DO - cause outrage and protests in the community.

    Comment by Ferris Wheel Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 11:58 am

  21. @ Honeybear:

    “ppl” = “people”

    Comment by JoanP Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:00 pm

  22. Ah, okay now I get it. Thanks!

    Comment by Honeybear Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:07 pm

  23. The condescending “nice people,” who say that, “Yeah, it’s all bad, but these protesters need to understand that…” Also, the Breitbart/Illinois Policy Institute types who are just so gal-darned upset about the problems in Chicago.

    Comment by Albany Park Patriot Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:12 pm

  24. If you are going to be involved in a coverup then you don’t work together on the case with the feds. I believe Anita on this one.

    Comment by anon Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:14 pm

  25. People who don’t understand that the basic definition of civil disobedience is lawbreaking.

    People who classify symbolic property offenses as violence or rioting.

    Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:16 pm

  26. Anon, you think Alvarez had a choice when the feds came knocking?

    Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:19 pm

  27. The FOP for their initial “explanation” in addition to the drawn out disciplinary procedures that keep cops like this on salary for a year or longer

    Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:26 pm

  28. You want my 80 yo white Southerner mother’s list of people who need to be fired/charged with something? It starts with the mayor and the chief of police, the state’s attorney (I had to remind her of that one) and ends with all of the police who stood there and let their fellow officer murder a child.

    Comment by Cheryl44 Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:34 pm

  29. “the basic definition of civil disobedience is lawbreaking”

    Originally, civil disobedience as practiced by figures such as Thoreau, Gandhi, and ML King meant refusing to obey laws that were in and of themselves unjust, and accepting the consequences of such disobedience. For example, persons who helped slaves escape through the Underground Railroad (in violation of the federal Fugitive Slave Law), or participated in the lunch counter sit-ins of the 60s (in which African-Americans directly defied the law that specifically forbade them to sit where they wished).

    It did NOT mean going out of one’s way to break just and reasonable laws against trespassing, vandalism, etc., or to create public disorder, in situations NOT related to the injustice being protested, for the sole purpose of attracting attention to a cause. That definition of “civil disobedience” is largely a product of the media age and often does more harm than good.

    That said, what happened in Chicago over the weekend was not even close to “rioting”, for which we should all be thankful.

    Comment by Secret Square Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:39 pm

  30. Rahm-He wanted to be re-elected so badly that he couldn’t see that eventually we’d see the forest for the trees. Even $5M couldn’t keep the trees from parting.
    50 Alderman-I don’t care which way they voted. They knew and didn’t tell us. Progressives???
    Alvarez-You were already skating on thin ice.
    The main stream Press who are all whining now. They’re so accustomed to getting spoon fed what the Mayor wants them to have that they don’t look anymore.

    Comment by Belle Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:41 pm

  31. Superintendent McCarthy
    At the video release press conference McCarthy could not even condemn the actions of his officer facing murder charges. The most he could muster was “…he must account for his actions…”. How can we expect change with leadership like that?

    Comment by old pol Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:51 pm

  32. Every politician who has ever beat the drum of pro-cop, pro-SA propaganda (”they need more tools!”) and who regularly tweets race-baiting gang violence stories but whose cats apparently have been in possession of both their tongues and their thumbs and their email listservs for the past week solid (excluding holiday wishes, sports talk, unrelated political news, and every other topic).

    Sen. Kirk, until he calls for en masse arrests of tens of thousands of Chicago Police officers.

    Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 12:55 pm

  33. Every local news station that led its newscasts with woeful human interest stories about cops who were going to be missing Thanksgiving due to vacation days cancelled due to expected violence at protests in Chicago, and failed to mention the cops would be making time-and-a-half as well as the fact that the protests were aimed at A COP WHO SHOT A KID.

    Comment by Educated in the Suburbs Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:04 pm

  34. Anyone who uses the term “bad apple” which likely includes people who also use the phrase “one of the good ones”.

    Comment by AC Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:12 pm

  35. Rich, I hate to correct your word usage on your site, but “perusal” does not mean a quick or cursory search. A “perusal” is a careful reading with the intent to commit to memory, although it is often incorrectly used to mean a quick or informal search.

    Comment by Stickler for Grammar Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:14 pm

  36. ===If you are going to be involved in a coverup then you don’t work together on the case with the feds===

    The G didn’t get involved until April - 6 months after the shooting. Plenty of time to charge. Why do you think they got involved? Well, for one, nobody was doing anything, including the SA.

    Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:17 pm

  37. Aldermen who voted on this matter and are now Shocked, Shocked. Jesse Jackson and Bobby Rush (see today’s Trib Editorial
    for a piece of their work on E 2 also.)

    anyone who thinks that viewing this video equals immediate proceed to charge without a detailed investigation involving multiple agencies.

    Comment by Amalia Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:18 pm

  38. === “perusal” does not mean a quick or cursory search. A “perusal” is a careful reading with the intent to commit to memory===

    noun
    1. a reading: a perusal of the current books.
    2. the act of perusing; survey; scrutiny: A more careful perusal yields this conclusion.

    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perusal

    Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:20 pm

  39. People who attempt to create a false equivelancy between police another other government officials who we trust to serve and protect, and random acts of criminals. It’s usually an attempt to deflect blame from the police and redirect it toward criminals, usually structured as a question, “why aren’t they protesting about…?”. It seems to be a combination of racisim and facism.

    Comment by AC Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:21 pm

  40. Pat Camden.

    he’s just always right/in control/knows more than you do even when working on the same side of an issue. the guy is just not collaborative.

    Comment by Amalia Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:27 pm

  41. Anyone who thinks that prosecuting a police shooting is more complicated than prosecuting a gang shooting.

    Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:32 pm

  42. It looks like some of Alvarez’s base is not happy (though Garcia is Preckwinkle’s floor leader):

    http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1139920/anita-alvarez-losing-hispanic-political-base

    Comment by Keyrock Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:34 pm

  43. ==Pat Camden.==
    He might be someone to ignore in all police brutality allegations. Next time one occurs, I’d love to hear a reporter ask “Since you lied to us about the McDonald shooting, why should we believe your version of events here?”

    Comment by Robert the Bruce Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:37 pm

  44. This sort of fool: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-university-of-chicago-gun-threat-met-20151130-story.html

    Comment by JoanP Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:39 pm

  45. Keep in mind, Pat Camden was only doing his job as an FOP employee, which was to give the officer’s version of the events. The real shame should be directed toward the lazy Chicago media, whom for years regurgitated whatever Camden said and presented it as an unbiased, official version of events.

    Also, while I don’t buy into Kass’ Rahm-inspired conspiracy theory, I do think there is some indication that Alvarez got hung out to dry by the Feds.

    I heard former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins on the radio this morning and he said the feds regular m.o. in these cases is not to assist in a murder prosecution, but to try to get the cops to flip on each other and implicate higher ups — which takes months and months. It’s plausible that Alvarez got burned by waiting for them.

    Comment by Ricky R. Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:57 pm

  46. Anyone care to examine the Feds role in the investigation?

    They were all over Ferguson and were part of the joint investigation here but so have seen no press release

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 1:59 pm

  47. ===It’s plausible that Alvarez got burned by waiting for them. ===

    Again, the feds didn’t start probing until April. She had six months to charge by then.

    Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:00 pm

  48. Those who can’t recognize that people in all racial categories are angry and appalled by all aspects of this injustice.

    Comment by State worker Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:02 pm

  49. This guy who claims that “Chicago deserves riots” because of the McDonald case:

    http://thefederalist.com/2015/11/25/chicago-deserves-riots-over-the-laquan-mcdonald-shooting-and-coverup/

    Sorry to disappoint him (not). If he’d stuck to simply saying that certain public officials deserved to be removed from office or voted out, I’d not have an issue with that. But to state categorically that everyone living in the city “deserves” to be threatened with mob violence or destruction of their property or livelihood is way out of line and negates any argument he might be trying to make.

    Comment by Secret Square Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:08 pm

  50. === have seen no press release ===

    They issued one last week saying they were still on the case.

    Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:13 pm

  51. Nomination: bitter white suburban male victims.

    Comment by homer glen Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:18 pm

  52. Rich, the Feds announced in April that they had opened a joint investigation. I could be wrong, but I’m willing to bet they started an investigation long before they made that announcement.

    And Alvarez is out today with a statement saying she “enlist(ed)” the FBI to investigate because she didn’t think CPD should be allowed to investigate itself:

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-preckwinkle-calls-for-mccarthy-ouster-met-20151130-story.html

    Comment by Ricky R. Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:34 pm

  53. Regardless of who not to believe, and there are plenty of suspects, let’s all give a hand to Burger King. Really. Apparently, corporate gave the employee with direct knowledge to speak with the media. That’s laudable. No way that would have happened in government or any number of other companies.

    This is dorky, maybe, but everyone who values truth and justice should go out and buy a Whopper. Seriously.

    Comment by And The Winner Is... Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:41 pm

  54. RAHM: I was going to just complain that the Mayor has been conspicuously absent on this issue, but frankly his absence is a lot worse than just being AWOL. He has deliberately shirked his duty, which is the same as desertion in the Military. The military punishment for desertion is a lot worse than for AWOL. I wonder what the political punishment should be?

    Comment by SUburbanon Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:46 pm

  55. **It looks like some of Alvarez’s base is not happy (though Garcia is Preckwinkle’s floor leader):**

    LOL - you think that Chuy Garcia is, or represents, Alvarez’s base?

    Comment by AlabamaShake Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 2:48 pm

  56. No, Chuy isn’t, but he wasn’t alone:

    Joining Garcia at the news conference were four aldermen: Susie Salowski Garza (10th), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), Gilbert Villegas (36th) and Ricardo Muñoz (22nd). Two other Hispanic aldermen — Roberto Maldonado (26th) and Proco Joe Moreno (1st) — also joined the call for Alvarez’s resignation, but did not attend.

    Comment by Keyrock Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 3:04 pm

  57. Is that 6/10 Hispanic aldermen?

    Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 3:25 pm

  58. Jabari Dean, electrical engineering student, posting hateful, hate crime, terror messages that caused an entire campus of a university and an entire prep school to shut down. jerk.

    Comment by Amalia Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 4:17 pm

  59. To my knowledge the State’s Attorney’s office never indicts while Federal probe is continuing. And it’s always better to toss a hot potato into someone else’s lap.

    Last report the justice department works for Obama. Rahm worked for Emanuel. Connect the dots…..

    McCarthy is an outsider. He just married a female attorney. She’s a lot younger than him. She is a Chicagoan and married to the city. McCarthy is not going anywhere. The rank and file hates him. Therefore Rahm owns him. Rahm will keep him in the short term. To get rid of him would be a sign of weakness.

    Why did only a couple of cameras work? The vender who fixes them will not repair anymore until he gets paid for the last batch he repaired. Does that sound like Springfield? Also these are not new. These are old ones taken from old cars and put into suv’s and then from old suv’s and put into newer ones.

    Only a handful of police officers have taser’s. They cost money. The city is cheap when it comes to equipping the police officers, firefighter’s, paramedics. But they have a lot of money for Maggie Daley park. I wonder who had those construction contacts.

    5 million is cheap. But the mother did not have custody. She already lost it twice. I think 5 million sounded good to her.

    1 shot was not justified. 16 shots is… But first degree murder may be over charging. My layman’s guess he gets convicted of a lower charge.

    Comment by Rollo Tamasi Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 7:18 pm

  60. Rollo, thanks for the implied Justice Dept. conspiracy.

    I guess you didn’t read the post about “national conspiracies.” Actually, I don’t think you read what you wrote before posting, either. Check it out.

    Comment by Wordslinger Monday, Nov 30, 15 @ 7:45 pm

  61. Silent majority scared for there lives from police guns

    Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 7:58 am

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