Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared before the Chicago City Council on Wednesday to personally apologize for the death of Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old African American male who died in a police-involved shooting last October.
"If we're going to fix it, I want you to understand it's my responsibility with you," Emanuel said in a rare speech to the full Chicago City Council. "But if we're also going to begin the healing process, the first step in that journey is my step, and I'm sorry."
In the initial outcry to McDonald's death, Emanuel dismissed Police Chief Garry McCarthy, lamenting that the public had lost "trust" in him and his officers.
Angry Chicagoans, however, are not satisfied with Emanuel’s “sorry” or police force shakeup. Protesters lined up at City Hall after his speech and began marching through the city with one particular demand:
The crowd is chanting "impeach Rahm," "Rahm resign" and "Rahm must go,"... as well as "too little, too late."
The video footage of McDonald’s death, which shows a police officer shooting the teenager 16 times, was not made public until late last month, more than a year since it occurred. Emanuel has been accused of withholding this evidence because it would have conflicted with his hopes for reelection. Now that the video has surfaced, the Justice Department is launching an investigation into the Chicago police force to determine whether it has a history of unethical behavior.
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The Democrats’ presidential frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, said she still has faith in Emanuel’s leadership:
“‘I do,’ Clinton told reporters Friday evening in Fort Dodge, Iowa. ‘He loves Chicago and I’m confident that he’s going to do everything he can to get to the bottom of these issues and take whatever measures are necessary to remedy them.'”
Meanwhile, only 18 percent of Chicagoans, those who have felt the greatest impact of Emanuel’s failed policies, like the job he’s doing as mayor.
Will Clinton continue to stand by him in the coming days and weeks?
As Greg Gutfeld noted on Fox News’ “The Five” Wednesday night, if Emanuel doesn’t deserve to resign after McDonald’s death, he certainly should hang up his hat for overseeing a staggering murder rate.
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