GUILTY IL - Laquan McDonald, 17, fatally shot, Chicago PD charged, 20 Oct 2014 -J. VanDyke GUILTY*

[bluesneakers]

Laquan McDonald Family Wants A White House Summit On Police Brutality

The family of Laquan McDonald is hoping the outrage surrounding his tragic death will spark nationwide changes in police brutality, urban poverty and urban violence. They called for a White House summit on the subjects to be held in Chicago, and for Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign.
..
McDonald's story resonated because he represented many other black victims of police brutality, Hunter added. He doesn't want to lose the momentum for much-needed change.
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The family did not call on Emanuel to resign. When asked if they think he should go, Hunter said Alvarez's office is a bigger concern

 

[katydid23]

Laquan McDonald Family Wants A White House Summit On Police Brutality

Laquan's family failed him. I find it rather annoying that they want to point the blaming fingers at everyone else now. He was neglected and abandoned by his parents in childhood, in and out of foster care, a long juvenile criminal history, with drug abuse, like his mother, who received a 5 million dollar settlement, even though she had not raised her son....and now they want the White House to do a big study to figure out what went wrong?

 

[bluesneakers]

Laquan's family failed him. I find it rather annoying that they want to point the blaming fingers at everyone else now. He was neglected and abandoned by his parents in childhood, in and out of foster care, a long juvenile criminal history, with drug abuse, like his mother, who received a 5 million dollar settlement, even though she had not raised her son....and now they want the White House to do a big study to figure out what went wrong?

Not one of those things means he deserved to be murdered. How is it the family's fault? I didn't see them in the video. Van Dyke is the one who shot and killed him, all on his own.

 

[katydid23]

Not one of those things means he deserved to be murdered. How is it the family's fault? I didn't see them in the video. Van Dyke is the one who shot and killed him, all on his own.

No one says he deserved to die that night. But his OWN BAD CHOICES set the dangerous situation up. Seventeen years of neglect by his family and then his own poor choices , year after year, complicated the issue. If you run down the street high on PCP, with a knife, puncturing the tire of squad cars, and refusing to drop weapons while at gun point, then the possibility of something very bad happening increases.

And how is it the family's fault? Countless ways. He should have had what every child deserves---a loving stable family unit to raise home with some structure and protection. He should not have been in and out of state care, in and out of schools, doing petty crimes all through childhood, getting high as a young kid, running the streets unsupervised.

 

[kimlynn]

Speaking of finger pointing....toward everyone but the cop that overshot his authority.

IMO

 

[PeregrineFaulkner]

I strongly believe that, especially in a democracy, the people have an obligation to demand those in authority act responsibly and with integrity. There is much coming out about the police and city government in Chicago that is deeply troubling. IMO, I don't care who really is behind bringing this dysfunctional and possible corruption to light. This effects everyone.

 

[katydid23]

Speaking of finger pointing....toward everyone but the cop that overshot his authority.

IMO

I have already stated, a few times, that he was wrong to shoot at that time and that many shots. But I am not going to ignore the many years of wrong choices that led up to the situation.

 

[Montjoy]

I have already stated, a few times, that he was wrong to shoot at that time and that many shots. But I am not going to ignore the many years of wrong choices that led up to the situation.

Is that how LE, or for that matter, justice works -- or is supposed to work? I really hope not. LE are supposed to decide how to act in a situation by the parameters of the situation itself. I can't help but think that all of this talk of 'wrong choices' is a way to justify the murder -- or at least to say that it is not as unjustified as it would seem to most people.

 

[katydid23]

Is that how LE, or for that matter, justice works -- or is supposed to work? I really hope not. LE are supposed to decide how to act in a situation by the parameters of the situation itself. I can't help but think that all of this talk of 'wrong choices' is a way to justify the murder -- or at least to say that it is not as unjustified as it would seem to most people.

And what were the parameters of the situation? How is it that a dozen armed officers were dispatched to that street that night?

It was because of the poor choices made by the victim. He got really high, got a knife and began running the streets stabbing things. Puncturing the tires of a squad car is a pretty aggressive thing to do.

So the decision was made by all of the officers to hold fire, except for one, trigger happy, idiot, who emptied his gun into the kid after he was down. That is wrong and he will be going to trial.


But that does not alter the fact that this kid was failed by his family for years, before this officer got the chance to shoot him that night. And it would not have happened if the kid was home with his family, doing homework, or tucked into bed, instead of running the streets stabbing things.

 

[i.b.nora]

I am fairly certain that the family did not initially seek a payout, but rather it was foisted upon them by the Mayor's City Attorney basically in the form of hush money.

Imagine if the City of Chicago were to put that amount of money (5 million) combined with the previous 33 million paid out in another couple of cases into salaries and funding for those 30 or so mother's who have been banding together in their neighborhoods to fight crime and make for safer and happier places for everyone to live.

Imagine what strides could be made.

 

[Montjoy]

Imagine if the City of Chicago were to put that amount of money (5 million) combined with the previous 33 million paid out in another couple of cases into salaries and funding for those 30 or so mother's who have been banding together in their neighborhoods to fight crime and make for safer and happier places for everyone to live.

OT -- but that reminds me of something. Years back, my province had a program where, at very little relative cost, they sent out Phys Ed students with gear and programming to a number of remote communities -- mainly what were then called 'reservations' but are now called First Nations communities. They were by all accounts, a huge success. The crime rate during (and for some time after) the 'sports camps' they held dropped considerably. This did not just mean huge savings for the government in terms of legal/justice and incarceration costs, but it was also a huge morale boost for the communities, and not only in the short term.

But with changes in government, spending on things like sports activities (seen by some as merely recreation) was cast as a luxury/trifle. So these programs didn't last. Even though they made bottom-line economic sense.

I have to guess that the situation is even worse where police unions and commercial prisons are stronger. There is definitely profit for some in a high crime rate. So sad.

 

[kimlynn]

Is that how LE, or for that matter, justice works -- or is supposed to work? I really hope not. LE are supposed to decide how to act in a situation by the parameters of the situation itself. I can't help but think that all of this talk of 'wrong choices' is a way to justify the murder -- or at least to say that it is not as unjustified as it would seem to most people.

I think there is a lot of truth in your comment. By going after the parents and the background of Laquan it seems to be an attempt (and I hope I'm wrong) to lower their value as human beings.
Yikes ...IMO

 

[i.b.nora]

OT -- but that reminds me of something. Years back, my province had a program where, at very little relative cost, they sent out Phys Ed students with gear and programming to a number of remote communities -- mainly what were then called 'reservations' but are now called First Nations communities. They were by all accounts, a huge success. The crime rate during (and for some time after) the 'sports camps' they held dropped considerably. This did not just mean huge savings for the government in terms of legal/justice and incarceration costs, but it was also a huge morale boost for the communities, and not only in the short term.

But with changes in government, spending on things like sports activities (seen by some as merely recreation) was cast as a luxury/trifle. So these programs didn't last. Even though they made bottom-line economic sense.

I have to guess that the situation is even worse where police unions and commercial prisons are stronger. There is definitely profit for some in a high crime rate. So sad.

That is precisely the kind of thinking and problem solving that we all could benefit from and that I think is lacking in mainstream America. It seems so simple to me. It takes a visionary, or a boat full of visionaries and a bunch of enthusiastic people to follow through. The problems are there for solving. They aren't there so lawyers can file lawsuits.

 

[kimlynn]

It has nothing to do, in my opinion, with lowering anyones human value. It has everything to do with expecting the family to step up and take some accountability and responsibility for what happened. And so far I see the opposite happening.

A 17 yr old should be home, and being supervised, especially if he has a drug and criminal history. In My Opinion, he should not have been high as a kite and running the streets with a knife. There is such a thing as shared responsibility. Those cops didn't go to his home and pull him out of bed and shoot him. They were called to the scene because of his threatening, erratic actions while carrying a knife. So that needs to be taken into account when looking at the outcome and trying to prevent future tragedies.

It has nothing to do with an'attempt to lower someones value as a human' and if that is aimed at me, then I am offended by it.It is about accountability. No one looked out for that young man but they were all there to count out the settlement funds.

I don't agree that the parents were in any way responsible for Laquan being gunned down by LE.
Repeated postings about his background and what you consider the faults of the parents does not make the actions of LE correct.
Regarding the settlement...did the parents or family have other options at the time?
Keep in mind that the video wasn't made public until just recently.
I don't think it was all about money or they wouldn't be asking for a summit at the WH.
They couldn't ask before because this was hidden from the public.
Regarding the actions of Laquan...yes he had a knife and had a trace of PCP in his body. Yes he had less than an ideal upbringing but none of this has anything to do with the actions of LE. IMO

 

[DexterMorgan]

To tell you the truth. Since I don't want a forced vacation. I'm not even going to reply on my feelings.

But I will say that the 16 shots were very much an over kill. Jmo.

Btw. Even if you fire 16 shots into a home invasioner at 3 am while you are half naked and half asleep. You would have probably faced charges as well. Jmo.

 

[bluesneakers]

I don't agree that the parents were in any way responsible for Laquan being gunned down by LE.
Repeated postings about his background and what you consider the faults of the parents does not make the actions of LE correct.
Regarding the settlement...did the parents or family have other options at the time?
Keep in mind that the video wasn't made public until just recently.
I don't think it was all about money or they wouldn't be asking for a summit at the WH.
They couldn't ask before because this was hidden from the public.
Regarding the actions of Laquan...yes he had a knife and had a trace of PCP in his body. Yes he had less than an ideal upbringing but none of this has anything to do with the actions of LE. IMO

Carrying a knife and having PCP in your system are not capital crimes and Van Dyke has been charged with murder. Laquan was his victim. I thought WS was a victim-friendly site.

eta: kimlynn, this wasn't directed at you or suggesting anything about you. It's just what occurred to me when I read what you wrote.

 

[Montjoy]

Carrying a knife and having PCP in your system are not capital crimes and Van Dyke has been charged with murder. Laquan was his victim. I thought WS was a victim-friendly site.

eta: kimlynn, this wasn't directed at you or suggesting anything about you. It's just what occurred to me when I read what you wrote.

Not only are they not capital crimes, but Van Dyke was never given the powers of Judge-Jury-Executioner. He's just another accused murderer, who happened to be a LEO -- and he's not alone.

 

[bluesneakers]

Not only are they not capital crimes, but Van Dyke was never given the powers of Judge-Jury-Executioner. He's just another accused murderer, who happened to be a LEO -- and he's not alone.

No, far from it. Honestly I'm surprised he was charged at all, and I won't be surprised if he gets away with it.

 

[Cubby]

Laquan's family failed him. I find it rather annoying that they want to point the blaming fingers at everyone else now. He was neglected and abandoned by his parents in childhood, in and out of foster care, a long juvenile criminal history, with drug abuse, like his mother, who received a 5 million dollar settlement, even though she had not raised her son....and now they want the White House to do a big study to figure out what went wrong?

One of the links mentioned Laquans mom was only 14 she had him. She didnt have parenting skills. She had substance abuse problems. The one msm article (the long one) demonstrated how many social servises agencies tried to help Laquan. Per the artcle, Laquan admitted not having coping skills (this is a huge part of addiction), didn't want the help offered him and just wanted to stay high because it kept a smile on his face.

I'm not going to blame his family, we have generation after generation who lack the basic skills to parent. Mass amounts of substance abuse because users want to escape. The two biggest things, imo, are the lack of coping skills and the lack of self worth. How do people like Laquan gain any sense of self worth? They're born into poverty, addiction, crime ridden neighborhoods. It's pretty easy to see why they feel hopeless. Ive heard if a person has two addicted parents, they have a 90 percent chance of becoming an addict or marrying an addict. Toss in people being suspicious because of skin color and put oneself in Laquan's shoes. I think it's easy to see how someone could feel worthless and basically give up and just exist.

Officer Van Dyke failed Laquan. He took away the chance for revovery for Laquan. Officer Van Dyke also failed his wife and daughters. Imagine growing up knowing your daddy is in prison for murder. I don't see how Van Dyke can beat this. And if he is found not guilty, God help Chicago. The Rodney King backlash will look like a trip to Disney compared to what coukd happen in Chicago.

The best option I see for Van Dyke is for him to make a deal and plead guilty to a lesser charge.

 

[Cubby]

Is that how LE, or for that matter, justice works -- or is supposed to work? I really hope not. LE are supposed to decide how to act in a situation by the parameters of the situation itself. I can't help but think that all of this talk of 'wrong choices' is a way to justify the murder -- or at least to say that it is not as unjustified as it would seem to most people.

I think it minimizes the officers responsibility for his actions.