PHOTO/BOB SIMPSON
Editor’s note: Below are excerpts from a Facebook post by Frank Chapman after the sentencing of the Chicago cop who murdered Laquan McDonald in 2014, shooting him 16 times. Please send your thoughts on the fight for justice and an end to police violence to info@peoplestribune.org/
What happened in the Jason Van Dyke sentencing (sentencing him to just six years and nine months) was a clear and blatant expression of the fact that the powers that be here in Chicago are not intending on ever conceding to our demands for justice. That fascist minded judge, the openly racist defense counsel and the total caving in of the prosecution to the demands of the Van Dyke family and the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) demonstrate the necessity of intensifying the struggle for community control of the police.
There is no middle ground here. Either we get community control of these trained killers and inveterate violators of our human rights or they will continue to murder and torture us with impunity. And we can see things getting worse in the wake of this travesty of justice if we do not act out in protest. . . We must take this moment to organize our rage into a re-dedication to our struggle to empower the people to hold the police accountable.
We must not just protest in the streets but protest at the polls. We must intensify our efforts to turn these elections into a serious and viable struggle for empowering our people to start controlling those institutions in our communities which are vital to our health and safety. We must get rid of this racist and corrupt City Council, the judges that protect police criminals and the police who only serve and protect the status quo.
Your voice and vote are needed now more than ever.
Call or text me: (312) 513-3795.
