CHICAGO — Protesters will demand the firing of Officer Dante Servin, who was cleared of charges of involuntary manslaughter in April over the fatal shooting of Rekia Boyd because the judge argued the shooting wasn't "reckless" and that it was "intentional."
The rally is 7 p.m. Thursday at Police Headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan Ave. It's being timed to coincide with a Police Board hearing for Servin, as organizers want to call for his dismissal while providing information about Boyd, said Camesha Jones, a spokeswoman for Black Youth Project 100, an activist group that organized the event.
Servin was off duty when he shot into an alley near Douglas Park, killing Boyd, in 2012. Servin said he shot after he saw another person in the alley — later identified as Antonio Cross — pull a gun, but no weapon was recovered and prosecutors said Cross had a cellphone. Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but Judge Dennis Porter cleared him of those charges on April 20 in a move that sparked protests.
Now, rally organizers say they want to put pressure on Chicago Police to fire Servin. They'll also share information about black and trans women who have been the victims of police violence, Jones said.
"Pretty much the goal is to pack the Police Board hearing," Jones said.
More than 975 people have said they're going to the rally on its Facebook event page, and Jones said several hundred people are expected to attend.
The protesters plan to be at every hearing until a decision is made about Servin, Jones said.
Chicago Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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