Chicago mayor apology prompts protests

• 9 December 2015
• From the section US & Canada

Protests have erupted in Chicago after the mayor apologised for the 2014 death of a black teenager shot by a police officer 16 times.

Hundreds of people have filled the streets, blocking traffic, chanting “16 shots and a cover-up” and demanding the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

He said at a city council meeting he promises “complete and total” reform after the death of Laquan McDonald, 17.

Jason Van Dyke, the white officer who shot McDonald, was charged with murder.

“I take responsibility for what happened because it happened on my watch,” said Mr Emanuel.

“And if we’re going to fix it, I want you to understand it’s my responsibility with you.

“But if we’re also going to begin the healing process, the first step in that journey is my step.”

He criticised the police department for its actions and said its “supervision and leadership” had failed.

The apology was not enough for protesters, who want Mr Emanuel to resign.

Marching up to a line of police officers, the protesters eventually broke through and marched down Michigan Avenue, one of the streets of the city.

Some participated in a sit-in, which appeared peaceful but blocked traffic.

The video of the shooting was kept from the public for more than a year and only ordered to be released by a judge in November.

Days of protests followed, and Mr Emanuel announced a new police accountability task force and fired the police chief, but many say the mayor was complicit in a cover-up of the McDonald case and must go.