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Community Devastated By Short Sentence Handed To Police Officer That Killed Laquan McDonald
Friends, family, and ac- tivists that supported Laquan McDonald, the teen fatally shot by a Chicago police officer, are voicing their frustration over the al- most-seven-year sentence that the officer who killed him received.
Jason Van Dyke was sentenced Friday to six years and nine months in prison by an Illinois judge, despite prosecutors wanting Van Dyke to serve at least 18 years in prison.
Van Dyke was convicted last year of second-degree murder and 16 counts of ag- gravated battery with a firearm for shooting the 17- year-old teen after spotting him walking down the street with a small knife in his hand.
But this sentence means Van Dyke could be released on good behavior in less than three and a half years, the As- sociated Press reported.
“He deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars,”
Many are angry with the six-year-sentence given to Jason Van Dyke, who shot and killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
Chicago community organ- izer William Calloway told reporters on Friday. “That’s something that’s a consensus among the activist commu- nity, the black community and most Chicagoans at large.”
Calloway called the sen- tence “a slap in the face” to the community, “and a slap on the wrist [for Van Dyke].”
The sentence came down just days after three of Van Dyke’s colleagues were found not guilty of falsifying reports and conspiring to cover up the death of Mc- Donald.
Van Dyke is still facing more time for 16 counts of ag- gravated battery with a firearm. He has yet to be sen- tenced for that conviction.
Texas Daycare Worker Fired After Video Showed Her Pulling Child’s Hair
NYPD Cop Under Fire For Selling Drugs On The Side
A NYC cop had a side hustle allegedly selling marijuana in- side a store he co-owned, the NY Post reports.
Gilberto Mercedes was busted at the Neighborhood Liquor Store at Knickerbocker and Putnam Avenues in Bush- wick, NY selling a $25 bag of weed on Friday, according to police.
Mercedes also reportedly sold vodka to a minor, who was a police informant. The 42- year-old has been charged with criminal sale and possession of marijuana, weapon possession and unlawfully dealing with a child for the sale of the alcohol. His bail was set at $10,000.
Patrick Brackley, his lawyer said the gun was not his client’s.
“[The gun] was not his weapon and he had no knowl- edge of its presence.’’
The cop has been a part of the NYPD force in the Bronx for the past 14 years, cops said. He was earning $85,000 a year, according to the outlet. He has since been suspended without pay.
Cruz Mercedes, his fa- ther, said of the allegations, “It’s shocking,” he said through a Spanish translator to The Post. The dad explained that Mercedes is divorced with three kids and a war veteran.
“Nothing bad is going to happen to him,” the dad said.
“He is not guilty. They have to let him go free. He wouldn’t do such a thing.
“He is a calm kid. Everybody on the block likes, everybody
NYPD
gets along with him. He is a good kid.”
Brackley also said at Mercedes’ arraignment that he doesn’t work nor own part of the store.
Internal Affairs is investi- gating.
Even though cops are sup- posed to serve and protect you never know what you’ll get when the police roll up. Just like in the case of the dramatic video that went viral showing proof that an NYPD cop planted drugs in a Black teen’s car late last year.
Still somehow wasn’t enough evidence to hold the crooked cop accountable, the New York Times reports.
The Times secured the video footage an interaction with New York Police Depart- ment cops who stopped several Staten Island teens and searched their cars bent on un- covering drugs of some sort. The teens ultimately were framed by the cops after they didn’t find anything incrimi- nating and body camera showed how one officer in par- ticular planted marijuana and claimed to have found it on the floor of the suspect’s car.
Kentucky Catholic School From Lincoln Memorial Clash Allowed Blackface
In the video recorded by one employee at My Little Playhouse Learning Center, another employee is seen yanking the girl up by her hair and forcing her to stand while she eats. Although the video went viral Thursday, 3- year-old Amyra Wilson’s mother says the incident oc- curred weeks ago.
Police are now investigat- ing the incident.
Officials with My Little Playhouse Learning Center released the following state- ment:
The owners and Directors of My Little Playhouse Learn- ing Center LLC were made aware of video footage posted on social media at approxi- mately 11:45 a.m. Staff in- volved were fired immediately. Local authori- ties (LPD) has been notified and are investigating accord- ingly. Texas Department of Childcare Licensing has also been notified.
The grandmother of the
A screenshot of the video that went viral
child in the video said she saw the video about 20 min- utes before she showed up at the daycare to pick up the child on Thursday.
“I was furious. My initial reaction was to come and snatch her head off her body,” Shanna Walker, the grandmother of the child, told KCBD. “It’s very fright- ening." She says the employ- ees there are “supposed to be people that are taking care of [the kids] that has their well being at heart. “But when you
come to find out something like this is happening... I know that everyone thinks that their grandchildren are the best. But this little girl, she is the sweetest little girl that you could ever know. And she’s very quiet and very timid. So, for her to sit there and just to pull on her hair – it’s very infuriating. I mean I’m standing here right now, feeling like I’m about to boil over.”
Wilson’s parents are ready to pursue legal action.
The Kentucky Catholic high school whose students were filmed taunting a Native Amer- ican man at the Lincoln Memo- rial last Friday have been called out for allowing other young- sters to wear black face at pep rallies in the last 10 years.
Covington Catholic High School has shuttered its web- site, Facebook page and dis- connected its phone since a video of its students at the me- morial went viral over the weekend.
It has not commented on the footage which it posted on its YouTube account last January. It is titled 'Compilation video of the Colonel Crazies from over the past decade. With a Spirit that Will Not Die!'
There are several images of students attending Braveheart Marches, dressed in hunting clothes and at various other themed parties.
Among them are photo- graphs and videos from a 2011 event called 'blackout' in which at least one student has painted their entire upper bodies with black paint.
At another event in 2015, more students wore blackface and jeered as an African Amer- ican player from the school's opponent stood in front of them.
At a 2012 event titled 'Hill- shire Farm', two students were covered in it.
While the students painted their bodies with blue and white paint at a Braveheart event, there were no photo- graphs of anyone with their bodies painted blue at the 'blue out' event.
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