16 Shots
In the middle of the street, Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke gunned down Laquan McDonald sixteen times; he could have not known what would be all the consequences. After all, before the smoke had cleared even a little bit, all his colleagues were already framing a defense for his actions. Before defending Chicago P.D descends on this comment sections like hails stones, these are statements that cannot be disputed.
Van Dyke shot McDonald who was armed with a knife and according to Van Dyke charging at him with it. All police officers who were present during this incident wrote in virtually identical terms (although emphasis was laid on whether Mcdonald used his body language or knife when “attacking”.) Some of them went and deleted 86 minutes’ worth of security footage at a nearby Burger King while others stood outside waiting. Then as now eyewitnesses say they were pressured by officers they spoke to that night into changing their accounts.
You could say that Van Dyke and his colleagues recognized the explosive nature of our present moment when it comes to police-community relations as necessitating these actions to manage a narrative about an okay shoot by law enforcement officers or you could employ piece’s reference from former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s “16 Shots” which is cited in Rick Rowley’s documentary Code Of Silence.
“Sixteen Shots” has less to do with the shooting itself than one might think given its title. Nothing said here on behalf of family members or close friends. It is about changes that followed that night in the Windy City. If you don’t live in Chicago state then you might consider this choice of words exaggeratory but honestly it isn’t. McCarthy resigned before the story was even done, Alvarez lost her re-election bid after failing to bring charges against Van dyke as expected and Emanuel opted out of running for reelection which many believe was because he thought his chances had been crippled by fallout from McDonald’s death.
On October 20, 2014 police were called to a South Side of Chicago trucking yard where it was alleged that a young man was breaking into cars. One officer talked with McDonald and headed towards Pulaski while other officers responded there as well. Later toxicology reports showed that McDonald had PCP in his system and he walked down the middle of the street waving a knife away from officers.
Officer Van Dyke arrived at about 10pm, exited his vehicle and within approximately fifteen seconds shot McDonald sixteen times. The knowledge is not from any report or eyewitnesses but through a dash cam video which is horrendously clear of what happened: this means Mc Donald who was walking away did not “attack” anybody. When the video got out there people’s reaction was immediate and it was angry; protests began and political reverberations soon followed leading up to Van Dyke’s conviction for murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery as well.
Rowley’s documentary, 16 Shots, is a deliberate and ominous one. It shows the Chicago skyline and has a pulsating score behind it, but there are several smart decisions made by Rowley as a storyteller. He first presents both sides. McCarthy, Van Dyke’s attorney, Alvarez, and several FOP spokesmen are on hand to defend their actions and further elaborate on the challenges faced by policemen during the ‘10s.
I’ve never understood this discussion personally. One can believe that police have tough jobs while at the same time believing that one of them committed murder; these are not mutually exclusive thoughts. And yet they all see an attack on one cop as an attack on all cops. But they become highly irate when someone mentions “Code of Silence”. The most shocking thing is people who watch this video will give different responses based on what they view but Rowley realizes well that this distorted protective perception is actually responsible for many issues between officers and those whom they serve in a protective capacity.
Two people can see someone shot 16 times and react differently completely. In these instances how can we work together?
What makes Rowley’s film most effectively simmer with anger is his background music. These include activist leaders who doubt anything will change from the situation, probably not even a conviction of an active police officer or sergeant anymore. No one goes to jail when similar cases have happened before in other cities and some body pulled the trigger there too? What could be so special about this particular case? However, according to Rowley it was possibly pure luck that made this case stand out from others like it before now.
One of McDonald family lawyers reveals his surprise at getting what he wanted via subpoena for the video let alone wondering whether whoever was in charge actually knew what they were doing that day or just sent things off randomly hoping for something good: if that dashboard camera footage does not get released then it is very likely that this case never receives national attention.
But the video did come out. 16 Shots seems like a passionate and intelligent piece of work about a crucial period in the history of Chicago. Since McDonald, there have been some improvements in terms of crime and police relations in my city. However, McCarthy et al., who can hardly finish any statement without reminding you how hard it is to be an officer today, seem to miss the point that we who are seeking justice for McDonald also want safe and effective policing.
Condemning all cops wholesale is as bad as believing men in blue can do no wrong. Van Dyke is behind bars (although nowhere near as long as his jurors thought he deserved), while most high profile individuals involved with the case are now out or power.
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