Produced by:
KBOO
Program::
Air date:
Thu, 12/24/2015 - 12:00am
Journalist Jamie Kalven on Laquan McDonald
Independent Chicago journalist Jamie Kalven has been a voice calling for police reform in Chicago for years, and it was his lawsuit against the city of Chicago that brought the autopsy of Laquan McDonald into the light.
McDonald, a 17-year-old black man, was shot to death by police officer Jason van Dyke on October 20, 2014.
Van Dyke was charged with murder after the release of the autopsy and damning dashcam video of the incident, which showed McDonald--though he was armed with a knife--walking away from officers before van Dyke opened fire and later reloading his gun.
In all McDonald was shot sixteen times and died at the scene.
The evidence contradicts nearly every crucial detail of the city's account of the incident, which was followed unquestioningly by local media.
Jamie Kalven spoke with KBOO's Sam Bouman about the McDonald case; the complicated relationship between the Chicago PD, Rahm Emanuel's government, the media, and the police union; the pros and cons of calls for Emanuel to resign; the role of the US Dept. of Justice in the case; and four broad areas of reform that would give people more oversight over runaway police departments.
He also discusses his community journalism organization in Chicago, the Invisible Institute, and its Citizens Police Data Project.
A short version of this interview aired on KBOO News In-Depth on Thursday, December 24, 2015.
McDonald, a 17-year-old black man, was shot to death by police officer Jason van Dyke on October 20, 2014.
Van Dyke was charged with murder after the release of the autopsy and damning dashcam video of the incident, which showed McDonald--though he was armed with a knife--walking away from officers before van Dyke opened fire and later reloading his gun.
In all McDonald was shot sixteen times and died at the scene.
The evidence contradicts nearly every crucial detail of the city's account of the incident, which was followed unquestioningly by local media.
Jamie Kalven spoke with KBOO's Sam Bouman about the McDonald case; the complicated relationship between the Chicago PD, Rahm Emanuel's government, the media, and the police union; the pros and cons of calls for Emanuel to resign; the role of the US Dept. of Justice in the case; and four broad areas of reform that would give people more oversight over runaway police departments.
He also discusses his community journalism organization in Chicago, the Invisible Institute, and its Citizens Police Data Project.
A short version of this interview aired on KBOO News In-Depth on Thursday, December 24, 2015.
- KBOO
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