CHICAGO — The young activists that largely shut down Donald Trump's campaign rally here Friday are now flying their flag for their preferred presidential candidate.
And it's not Hillary Clinton.
Assata's Daughters and other local activist groups focusing on civil rights took to the skies Tuesday to fly banners associating the Democratic presidential front-runner with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The group said it would fly 16 banners by 3 p.m. in honor of teenager Laquan McDonald, who was fatally shot 16 times by a Chicago Police officer in 2014.
Two of the banners flown say "Hillary Stands with Rahm" and "Chicago Stands with Laquan."
These are currently flying over Chicago thanks to @AssataDaughters #ByeAnita #16Shots pic.twitter.com/YeGR8uA8SL
— mervyn marcano (@britrican) March 15, 2016
“To this day, Hillary Clinton has yet to condemn Chicago’s anti-black mayor," Tess Raser, an Assata's Daughters organizer, said in a statement. "Mayor Emanuel has conspired with [Cook County] State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez during his own re-election campaign to cover up the police murder of Laquan McDonald —a life that to Emmanuel, Alvarez, and Clinton did not matter. Any politician who supports Emanuel should consider themselves implicated in his misconduct."
Emanuel's approval rating has plummeted since a video of McDonald's death was released last fall, and so far Chicago's mayor has sat mostly silent on the presidential campaign despite serving as a key aide during the Clinton and Obama administrations. Chuck Todd of NBC's "Meet The Press" called Emanuel a "toxic figure" Sunday.
Clinton held a narrow two-point lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders in Monday polls forecasting Tuesday's primary election here. Alvarez is also running for re-election Tuesday.
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