ARCHER HEIGHTS — The activist who helped force the release of video showing the slaying of Laquan McDonald is now pushing for state legislation that could knock Mayor Rahm Emanuel and others out of office.
McDonald was 17 when he was shot 16 times and killed by a Chicago Police officer on Oct. 20, 2014. It took until Nov. 24, 2015, for the city to release video showing the officer, Jason Van Dyke, shooting McDonald. Van Dyke was charged with murder just hours before the video was released.
On Thursday, the second anniversary of McDonald's death, activist Will Calloway announced he helped create a state bill dubbed the Laquan McDonald Act. The bill would amend current laws so the city's mayor, aldermen and the Cook County state's attorney could be recalled through a special election in a measure that would hold politicians accountable while adding to McDonald's legacy, Calloway said.
Organizers would be able to set up a petition to recall the mayor and aldermen, and if the number of signatures they received was equal to or greater than 10 percent of the total votes in the last mayoral election a recall special election would be held.
Just 5 percent of the total votes in the last election for state's attorney would be needed for a recall special election for that post.
If enough people voted to recall those officials, they would be removed from their post immediately, according to the act. The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Kenneth Dunkin, a Democrat from Chicago who has often voted with Republican members. He was defeated in the primary in his re-election bid.
Dunkin thinks Laquan McDonald Act could pass, says there's been a lot of change. pic.twitter.com/zNN6OEoNDp
— Kelly Bauer (@BauerJournalism) October 20, 2016
Beyond holding politicians accountable, the McDonald Act would also inspire voter confidence in their officials and improve voter turnout, Dunkin and Calloway said.
"You shouldn't have to worry about a recall if you're doing your job as an alderman, as a Cook County State's attorney, as the mayor," Dunkin said. "We haven't seen this level of legislation to hold our all of our feet to the fire ever here in the state of Illinois, outside of the governor."
Prospects for passage of the bill are slim as Democrats control the House and the Senate in the Illinois General Assembly, but Dunkin said he thinks he can get downstate and suburban support because dozens of other states have similar processes as those proposed in the McDonald Act.
The bill's backers also pointed to changes in the city — like State's Attorney Anita Alvarez losing her re-election bid in the primary and weeks of protests after the McDonald video was released — as giving them hope. Calloway also said he gave officials credit for creating the Civilian office of Police Accountability.
"As we've seen since last year, there has been systemic changes inside the Chicago Police Department and the political landscape in Chicago, period," Calloway said. "And [the] Laquan video has [done] a lot not only for this city but for this nation around the conversation of racial equality and law enforcement and the way law enforcement interacts with the black community."
Those changes haven't been enough, though: Calloway said if he was grading Emanuel he'd give the mayor an F-, saying Emanuel doesn't care about the city's black community.
Calloway said the bill would give voters more confidence in officials. pic.twitter.com/fdC1z9CkE1
— Kelly Bauer (@BauerJournalism) October 20, 2016
The Rev. Gregory Livingston, standing beside Calloway and Dunkin, said now was the time to act and push for the Laquan McDonald Act because Emanuel isn't as powerful as past mayors.
"In the history of Chicago, we have never had a mayor this weak," Livingston said. "This is the time to hit. The bears are down. Beat 'em bad. Rahm Emanuel is weaker than the Daleys or Harold Washington or anyone."
Activists have repeatedly called for Emanuel, Alvarez and other public officials to resign, saying they tried to help cover up the death of McDonald.
And in January, Gov. Bruce Rauner said he'd sign a different bill that would have enabled voters to host a special recall election to remove Emanuel from office, though that bill didn't pass through the General Assembly.
In a statement Thursday, Emanuel said McDonald's death was a "wake-up call" for Chicago that sparked public conversation on how police work and interact with communities.
“But more than just breaking from the past, we will continue working together across the city to build a brighter future by restoring trust between residents and our officers, and implementing the reforms necessary to prevent this from happening again,” Emanuel said.
Activists will also meet Thursday night to hold a memorial for McDonald.
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