* Mihalopoulos…
The face of the protests so far has been 16-year-old Lamon Reccord. His staring contests with officers have featured on cable news channels and in the world’s most widely read English-language news site, the Daily Mail.
According to his LinkedIn networking profile, Reccord began helping Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s challenger Kimberly Foxx in September — well before the release of the police video of McDonald being shot.
Reccord also has worked as an intern for a nonprofit group called Chicago Votes. The organization’s former executive director is Foxx’s campaign manager, and one of its longtime board members is the campaign’s spokeswoman.
He should be commended for getting involved in civic life even before he’s old enough to vote, at an age when many peers appear more interested in video games.
But Reccord’s recent trajectory makes me wonder if the protesters include many newly converted critics of the local political powerhouses or largely the same players who couldn’t unseat Emanuel in last spring’s unprecedented runoff election.
Other protesters who’ve been widely quoted by media include hardened veterans of the battles with Emanuel over school closings and a minister who got just 7 percent of the vote to finish fourth in a six-way aldermanic race earlier this year.
Is this an expanding movement that can generate waves of voters for anti-establishment candidates? Or are the protesters mostly people who already were firmly against the mayor and Alvarez, even before the McDonald video exploded into public view?
Good questions.
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:02 am:
Dan M hit the nail on the head -
“But Reccord’s recent trajectory makes me wonder if the protesters include many newly converted critics of the local political powerhouses or largely the same players who couldn’t unseat Emanuel in last spring’s unprecedented runoff election.” - YES.
While I am voting for Foxx on the merits over Anita, there is no doubt who is behind this candidacy. It is the same group indeed.
- crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:25 am:
Cool, cool. Now the protests need to be nonviolent and large and daily and professional in their demands and well-organized and spontaneous and able to include establishment figures and not owned by any of them and able to exclude disruptive characters..and now comprised primarily of new converts.
People who aren’t in the street are always such reliable observers of what the people who are should really be doing.
- Juice - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:28 am:
A key difference is that Rahm’s support is not the same as Anita’s support. And I imagine a number of Rahm’s biggest backers will be with More. Add in the fact that there were a number of progressives who supported Anita in 2008 on the basis of breaking up a perceived good ole boy network, and for whatever reason felt like they could not support Suffredin. My money is still on Alvarez to win (unfortunately) but the coalition against her (not necessarily those protesting though) has different elements than the coalition against
Additionally, I would imagine that the Latino community will largely stick with her, regardless of who Chuy and Gutierrez endorse.
- Interesting - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:37 am:
I would blame both campaigns against Anita if they weren’t involved in the protests. It does make you wonder if there would be any protests still without their support?
- @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:44 am:
“Reccord began helping Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s challenger Kimberly Foxx in September — well before the release of the police video of McDonald being shot.”
A simple search of Twitter will show that many community activists/organizers/protesters/etc both 1) knew what was on that video, and 2) were organizing around the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald loooooong before the video was released.
Just because the local press slept on the McDonald shooting, that doesn’t mean that everyone did.
– MrJM
- Century Club - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:49 am:
The anti-Anita and anti-Rahm movements are much different.
For Alvarez, the movement to dump her includes many African American leaders who supported Rahm. The video just reinforces their beef with her - that she punishes low-level offenders harshly and lets the police and politically connected offenders off. So yes, they already wanted her out, but for exactly the reasons exposed by the video. I think it’s natural for there to be overlap between the Foxx campaign and the protests.
I agree with Mihalopoulos on the anti-Rahm protesters. This is a re-ignition of their opposition. I do think the Illinois Observer poll shows that the anti-Rahm sentiment (18% approval rating, 51% say he should resign) is clearly not limited to the protesters. Also, from the flurry of action from the Black Caucus and other elected officials, I believe they are feeling real heat on this in their neighborhoods - which all went for Rahm in the election.
So, Rahm resign - no, Rahm politically hobbled for 3 years - yes.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:50 am:
If you’ve seen the video and heard what Alvarez and Emanuel have had to say, I doubt that the protests influence your way of thinking one way or the other.
The day before Thanksgiving, people were worried about a reaction like Ferguson or Baltimore. Didn’t happen.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:10 am:
The last line sums it up.
The protesters have failed to expand much beyond the ranks of those already opposing Emanuel, Alvarez and company.
They are targeting their opponents, otherwise we would have also heard their complaints about the City Aldermen, Cook County officials, Attorney General, State’s Attorney and others complicit in allowing this rank, fetid system of law enforcement and justice to develop.
- allknowingmasterofracoondom - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:11 am:
That is the young man who stood 3 inches from the police mans nose staring at him. If he did that to me I would have punched him in the face.
- Downstate - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:18 am:
Anyone else find it interesting that Jesse and Al are not involved in any of this?
Yesterday I was told that young leaders in the city have quietly ushered them to the sidelines.
- Anon 2 - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:21 am:
Interesting if a cop was shown doing the stare down to multiple people this blog would be calling for them to be fired. Baiting people and trying to become a news story should not be rewarded, paid protestors this is an Astro turf movement that has already failed.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:31 am:
–Anyone else find it interesting that Jesse and Al are not involved in any of this?
Yesterday I was told that young leaders in the city have quietly ushered them to the sidelines.–
Lol, that’s the word on the street, huh? Please expand on this inside dope.
Not that it matters, but Jetstream has been there. Don’t know or care about Al.
But I’m quite certain they don’t get “quietly ushered to the sidelines” if they want to get in front of the cameras.
–Interesting if a cop was shown doing the stare down to multiple people this blog would be calling for them to be fired. –
Another victim heard from.
But I don’t really think “police staring” is an issue of concern at the present.
- @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:33 am:
Police officers wither under a teenager’s stare?
More like thin-skinned blue line.
– MrJM
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:46 am:
“His staring contests” have been a source of amusement and little else.
Was that supposed to be taken seriously? Oops. I thought they were just the passive aggressive actions of a teenager posing for the cameras while hoping to agitate.
- Century Club - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:48 am:
And this morning, students at an elite African American high school in Chicago protest during the Mayor’s visit. There is real anger in the communities about this, even if the street protests are mostly the same old crew.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/12/16/students-chant-16-shots-as-emanuel-visits-urban-prep/?cid=twitter_cbschicago
- Keyrock - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:48 am:
Anita is using the “politics” theme in responding to criticism from the Public Defender:
http://wgntv.com/2015/12/15/cook-county-public-defender-the-system-is-more-than-broken-its-chaos/
- walker - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:52 am:
Century Club has it.
Concerns about Alvarez had been building long before the McDonald case became public. It just exemplified what they were already thinking, based on many other cases and statements.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 11:10 am:
ah, Toni Preckwinkle street theater!
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 11:29 am:
–Just because the local press slept on the McDonald shooting, that doesn’t mean that everyone did.–
The Chicago media big hitters did no independent reporting on the McDonald case until after the video was released. They just waited to be spoon-fed by the Emanuel spin doctors. Now they’re outraged.
Coupled with big media failure in the B3 case, the question arises…
… what, would you say, you do here? Besides traffic in gossip about personalities?
–Concerns about Alvarez had been building long before the McDonald case became public. It just exemplified what they were already thinking, based on many other cases and statements.–
Exactly.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 11:33 am:
=If he did that to me I would have punched him in the face.=
LOL, why, because his withering glare hurts you?
BTW- your actions would be immediately followed by a trip to jail. Mission accomplished?
- Tone - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 11:42 am:
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 11:33 am:
=If he did that to me I would have punched him in the face.=
LOL, why, because his withering glare hurts you?
BTW- your actions would be immediately followed by a trip to jail. Mission accomplished?
For punching someone for threatening you? No one is going to jail for that.
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 12:13 pm:
==- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:10 am:==
Try opening your eyes.
==- Downstate - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:18 am:==
Only a surprise to racists and the clueless.
==- JS Mill - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 11:33 am:==
What better way to get the ignition many in the mayor’s office and the media seem to want than to have a cop punching people out broadcasted live to the world.
- Northsider - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 1:41 pm:
@MisterJM @ 9:44: “Just because the local press slept on the McDonald shooting, that doesn’t mean that everyone did.”
Bingo.
@ allknowingmasterofracoondom @10:11: “If he did that to me I would have punched him in the face.”
I’m really hoping you’re not a cop, tough guy, since that’s the attitude that would’ve sparked the riot.
- Tip of the Iceberg - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 2:45 pm:
If a Black, socio-left, voting bloc organizes, starts running and electing one of their own (Foxx?), (Preck?), shockwaves throughout establishment politics, it will deliver.
- Tby - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:39 pm:
Don’t get me wrong — I’m no Alvarez fan, but at some point don’t we need to consider if it’s a good idea for the States’ Attorney to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the County Brd President?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:54 pm:
Tby that is a great question.