AOC: Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership.

[melman]

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[stillcool]

1. don't know the story...

but if true, AOC is doing a solid by getting out in front of it.

[George II]

3. It's not true. There was no coverup by Rahm Emmanuel.

[stillcool]

6. that's effed up...

She can be so good, but she can be so wrong.

[George II]

12. Exactly. It's a shame that it's repeated here on Democratic Underground. The officer involved....

....has been charged with first degree murder along with 22 other charges.

He was convicted of second degree murder on October 2018 and is was serving his sentence in Illinois State Prison. He later was transferred to the Federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut and then to the Federal prison in Otisville, New York and then to a state prison outside of Illinois.

[PTWB]

48. Shameful.

Whitewashing the attempted cover up of the murder of a Black teenager by a white police officer simply because AOC is calling attention to it. Shameful indeed.

[PTWB]

44. Don't let the anti-AOC faction gaslight you.

These people will do anything they can to discredit her (including outright lies). Please read for yourself and form your own opinion. This was an enormous scandal in Chicago and can without a doubt be fairly and accurately described as a cover up.

[Emanuel’s] administration and Police Department stood widely accused of covering up the October 2014 murder of a 17-year-old black kid by a white police officer who shot him 16 times on a Southwest Side street. The dashboard camera video of Laquan McDonald walking away from officers — posing no clear threat and then twisting to the ground as puffs of gun smoke curled up from his clothing — is now a haunting piece of Emanuel’s legacy.

Not until Emanuel was safely reelected in 2015, until the City Council approved a $5 million settlement for the teen’s family, until a judge forced the release of the video, until 80 minutes of nearby surveillance video went missing, until Emanuel could get his spin machine up and running, until the Cook County state’s attorney formally charged the police officer, did Emanuel finally acknowledge the city’s rightful outrage and his own vulnerability.
When the video finally was released in November 2015, it sparked weeks of protests. It led to a second-degree murder conviction for police Officer Jason Van Dyke. It shook any confidence the city could muster toward its Police Department.

Emanuel never recovered politically.

He also had closed some 50 underused public schools, feeding a sense of abandonment in Chicago’s most challenged neighborhoods. He could not get gun violence under control as it shoved Chicago into an international spotlight of shame. And he raised property taxes to historic levels while still leaving the city’s pension funds in dire condition.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/kristen-mcqueary/ct-column-rahm-emanuel-laquan-mcdonald-atlantic-mcqueary-20200203-4jci7bctbfdfffor4etlhs33wu-story.html?outputType=amp

[ShazzieB]

72. Thanks for posting this.

I live in the Chicago area and remember what a big deal this was at the time. Rahm sat on that video for a year. If that's not a cover up, I don't know what is.

[cwydro]

85. Thank you. nt

[stillcool]

128. thanks for the info..

took a while for me to read-up. I must have been off the sauce then...politics is an addiction for me.

[Celerity]

37. I disagree, the facts do not back up your claim. His administration stonewalled in order to secure

re-election.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel

In August 2012, a federal lawsuit was filed by eleven Chicago police officers alleging they were removed from the mayoral security detail and replaced with officers who worked on Emanuel's mayoral campaign, in violation of the 1983 Shakman Decree, which bars city officials from making political considerations in the hiring process.

Rahm Emanuel faced a great deal of criticism for his handling of the October 20, 2014, police shooting of Laquan McDonald. The dash-cam video of the shooting was initially withheld, and only was released after a judge ordered it on November 24, 2015. After the video release, Emanuel was condemned for covering up the incident and allowing Chicago police to use excessive force against minorities. Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote that the Emanuel administration withheld from the public the police dashboard camera video of the shooting in order to secure the reelection. Emanuel responded to criticism of the shooting and how it was handled by firing police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. In early December, the federal Justice Department announced an investigation into the Chicago Police Department, a move which Emanuel initially called "misguided". Illinois state legislator La Shawn Ford also introduced a bill to recall the mayor (an effort most pundits claim is more symbolic than practical).

snip




https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/kristen-mcqueary/ct-column-rahm-emanuel-laquan-mcdonald-atlantic-mcqueary-20200203-4jci7bctbfdfffor4etlhs33wu-story.html


snip

Contrary to his friend George Stephanopolous and other celebrity journalists who gush over Emanuel, Chicagoans know his tenure as mayor was punctuated by lost opportunity, not blockbuster accomplishment. His administration and Police Department stood widely accused of covering up the October 2014 murder of a 17-year-old black kid by a white police officer who shot him 16 times on a Southwest Side street. The dashboard camera video of Laquan McDonald walking away from officers — posing no clear threat and then twisting to the ground as puffs of gun smoke curled up from his clothing — is now a haunting piece of Emanuel’s legacy.

Not until Emanuel was safely reelected in 2015, until the City Council approved a $5 million settlement for the teen’s family, until a judge forced the release of the video, until 80 minutes of nearby surveillance video went missing, until Emanuel could get his spin machine up and running, until the Cook County state’s attorney formally charged the police officer, did Emanuel finally acknowledge the city’s rightful outrage and his own vulnerability.

When the video finally was released in November 2015, it sparked weeks of protests. It led to a second-degree murder conviction for police Officer Jason Van Dyke. It shook any confidence the city could muster toward its Police Department.

Emanuel never recovered politically.

snip



Cover-Up in Chicago

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/30/opinion/cover-up-in-chicago.html

snip

Then up for re-election, the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, was looking ahead to a contested election on Feb. 24, 2015, which would ultimately result in a runoff election on April 7. In Ferguson, Mo., a grand jury was hearing testimony on the police shooting of Michael Brown. The video of Eric Garner being choked to death during an arrest in New York had gone viral. The Black Lives Matter movement was gaining momentum across the country.

The video of a police shooting like this in Chicago could have buried Mr. Emanuel’s chances for re-election. And it would likely have ended the career of the police superintendent, Garry F. McCarthy.

And so the wheels of justice virtually ground to a halt. Mayor Emanuel refused to make the dash-cam video public, going to court to prevent its release. The city argued that releasing the video would taint the investigation of the case, but even the attorney general of Illinois urged the city to make it available.

Then the city waited until April 15 — one week after Mr. Emanuel was re-elected — to get final approval of a pre-emptive $5 million settlement with Mr. McDonald’s family, a settlement that had been substantially agreed upon weeks earlier. Still, the city’s lawyers made sure to include a clause that kept the dash-cam video confidential.

Around the time the freelance journalist Brandon Smith filed suit for release of the dash-cam video, on Aug. 5, 2015, the Chicago Police Department told him that it had already received, and rejected, 14 other Freedom of Information Act requests for the evidence. The city spent thousands of dollars in legal expenses to keep the video under wraps. And it would probably have continued to do so, had Judge Franklin Valderrama of the Cook County Circuit Court not ordered its release.

snip


How Chicago tried to cover up a police execution

https://www.chicagoreporter.com/how-chicago-tried-to-cover-up-a-police-execution/



snip

In April, the Chicago Tribune revealed Van Dyke’s name and his history of civilian complaints—including several brutality complaints, one of which cost the city $500,000 in a civil lawsuit—none of which resulted in any disciplinary action. In May, Carol Marin reported that video from a security camera at a Burger King on the scene had apparently been deleted by police in the hours after the shooting.

“This case shows the operation of the code of silence in the Chicago Police Department,” said Futterman. “From the very start you have officers and detectives conspiring to cover up the story. The question is, why are they not being charged?” Van Dyke’s history “also shows what happens when the police department consistently chooses not to look at patterns of abuse complaints when investigating misconduct charges,” he adds. This failure “is one of the reasons an officer like Van Dyke has an opportunity to execute a 17-year-old kid.”

Rather than acknowledging the systemic failures, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is now trying to frame the issue as the action of one bad officer, as the Tribune reports. “One individual needs to be held accountable,” he said Monday.

Kalven calls Emanuel’s “reframing” of the narrative “essentially false.” He points out that “everything we know now, the city knew from Day One. They had the officers on the scene. They knew there were witnesses. They had the autopsy, they had the video…. They maintained a false narrative about those events, and they did it for a year, when it could have been corrected almost immediately….They spent a year stonewalling any calls for transparency, any information about the case.”

snip

[PTWB]

46. Great post.

It is amazing how far some of the anti-AOC crowd will go to try to discredit her - to the point of whitewashing the cover up of the murder of a Black teenager by a white police officer - simply because AOC is speaking out against it.

Shameful.

[Celerity]

54. I notice that none of them are attacking Mondaire Jones (another elected Dem House member) who

tweeted this exact thing 2 days before AOC did.



Mondaire Jones
@MondaireJones

Congressman-Elect, NY-17 (Westchester/Rockland). Lawyer. Activist. Nonprofit Founder. Progressive. Former: Obama DOJ; Westchester Law Dep’t. He/Him

Nov 21

Rahm Emanuel covered up the murder of a Black teenager, Laquan McDonald, while he was Mayor of Chicago.

That he's being considered for a cabinet position is completely outrageous and, honestly, very hurtful.

Link to tweet

[PTWB]

55. Sexism, perhaps?

[Celerity]

60. one of many reasons, yes

[George II]

117. No. And I resent you implying (actually outright saying) that sexism is involved in this discussion.

[Celerity]

123. I was not referring to you George, I know you are not sexist in anyway nt

[George II]

90. See #89.

[melman]

105. AOC is a convenient scapegoat

Going after Jones reveals too much.

[melman]

114. Thanks for keeping me updated on things you dig

Always appreciated.

[George II]

89. Mondaire Jones wasn't the subject of the OP nor was he even mentioned in the OP.

[melman]

100. Mondaire Jones' tweet is right there in the original post.

[Autumn]

107. It's hard for some to see past AOC: Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership

all else is not important.

[George II]

112. Sorry, there were so many tweets I missed that. But Jones isn't the subject of the OP, which is:

AOC: Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership.

[melman]

118. Rahm Emanuel isn't in the subject line

And that hasn't stopped you from talking about him.

[Sympthsical]

58. It's totally blowing my mind

Look, I get it. Some people don't like AOC or the Left in general and make it well-known rather prolifically. I can set my watch to responses whenever a thread with AOC in the title gets posted.

But going to bat against her for this? The murder of a black teenager and the police and politicians covering it up for political advantage?

Come on. That's horrible and shameful.

[PTWB]

66. Yes it is.

There is at least one poster (who I am not going to name and shame) who chooses to whitewash the cover up of the murder of a Black teenager because he dislikes AOC.

[ShazzieB]

74. I agree.

[cwydro]

97. Not to mention hypocritical.

I'm no fan of AOC, at all, but the facts are clear in this case.

People who think otherwise need to do some research.

[George II]

47. That ws an editorial column by Kristen McQueary in 2016, who clearly has a problem with Emmanuel....

And she's still writing hit pieces about Emmanuel here in 2020:

Column: Rahm Emanuel the darling of Sunday morning TV shows? Don’t be fooled.

While Rahm Emanuel rehabilitates his reputation through the national media, Chicagoans remember clearly why he is no longer their mayor.

By KRISTEN MCQUEARY FEB 3, 2020

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/kristen-mcqueary/ct-column-rahm-emanuel-laquan-mcdonald-atlantic-mcqueary-20200203-4jci7bctbfdfffor4etlhs33wu-story.html#nt=outfit&nt=feed-flex-feature

She was a columnist, and now Editorial Page Editor for the right-leaning Chicago Tribune.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/chicago-tribune/



This case has been extensively investigated and it was never determined that DEMOCRATIC Mayor Rahm Emmanuel "covered up murder". However, the officer involved was charged with first degree murder and 22 other charges, WHILE EMMANUEL WAS MAYOR, and convicted of second degree murder and more than a dozen other charges.

He was imprisoned in Illinois State Prison, and has been transferred to several Federal prisons since his conviction.

If DEMOCRATIC Mayor Emmanuel was guilty of a cover up, why hasn't he been charged for that crime?

Why is everyone so eager to bash Rahm Emmanuel, a Democratic Public Figure?

[PTWB]

51. When you can't attack the message attack the messenger eh?

None of what is written in the article is untrue.

[Celerity]

57. yep, same old same old modus operandi

[George II]

65. And nowhere in the column is evidence that he covered up a murder. Sometimes the messenger....

....if not a objective messenger, can exaggerate or twist the truth.

Does anyone here really believe if Emmanuel covered up a murder that President Biden would be considering him for a position in his Cabinet?

Hardly.

[PTWB]

68. When was the body camera footage released?

[George II]

71. During Emmanuel's tenure as Mayor of Chicago.

[PTWB]

81. Shameful.

Whitewashing the attempted cover up of the murder of a Black teenager at the hands of the police.

Here are the facts:

• October 20th, 2014 - 17 year old Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times walking away from police. The shooting was captured on police camera. Emanuel and his administration refuse to release the damning footage.
  
  
• April 7th, 2015 Emanuel is re-elected in a runoff.
  
  
• April 15th, 2015 the city council unanimously approves $5 million settlement for Laquan’s family.
  
  
• November 24th, 2015 (over a year after the shooting) a court finally orders Chicago to release the damning video. City attorneys, under Rahm Emanuel, had fought that release tooth and nail for over a year.
  

[ahoysrcsm]

127. Not the first time, nor the last.

[Celerity]

75. only after it was ordered by a judge and only after Emmanuel was re-elected and only after

the city settled with the family (and had a non-disclosure agreement about the video put in)

[Celerity]

62. I posted far more than just that, and one could ask why you (for far longer) are so eager to bash

(your words) AOC.

I reject your framing. I am defending AOC and other, many many others who say the say thing. I posted the timeline of events in the the case, which do not face up well.

[George II]

70. Two things:

1. That writer was bashing Emmanuel as far back as 2016, probably earlier. No one knew anything about A0C until June 2018 - "for far longer"?

2. For obvious reasons I've never "bashed" her here, nor have I accused her of a crime that she never committed.

Covering up a murder is a crime. Accusing Emmanuel of doing so is a gross exaggeration. If he did so, again, he would have been charged and prosecuted.

Have a great day!

[Celerity]

73. You literally are taking Carl Sandburg to heart

have a great day too (seriously, zero snark intended)

[Bettie]

103. Why are you so eager to bash Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic Public Figure?

Near as I can tell she didn't hold back evidence of a crime for a year for her own personal gain.

[George II]

110. I'm not "eager" to do so, but wonder why she is so eager to "bash" Democratic Mayor Rahm Emmanuel...

This case was thoroughly investigated years ago. The officer responsible was charged, tried, convicted, and is now in prison.

If what Emmanuel is being accused of was true, certainly Joe Biden wouldn't be considering him for a position in his cabinet or administration.

This is questioning the judgement of Democratic President-Elect Joe Biden.

[Dem4Life1102]

125. Rahm Emmanuel is no longer an Democratic elected official

AOC still is.

And I've yet to hear Biden say a word about Emmanuel nor AOC say anything about Biden, so exactly how is his judgement being questioned?

[Biophilic]

4. Me either, but AOC seems pretty straight forward in what she calls out.

I need to know more. Life is going to become more complicated again. That is good, but I've been sort of lazy for 4 years.

[stillcool]

7. I'm missing some...

brain cells...damn near catatonic, but I wouldn't call it lazy. Maybe intellectually and emotionally exhausted.

[Biophilic]

36. Thanks, that's a bit of a better explanation.

Yes, just exhausted and for the most part I didn't want to know too much more. It was just too painful. Things are looking up and my natural curiosity is beginning to peek its head up and look around. A bit like that old ground hog.

[Hortensis]

32. "I need to know more" x 40 million would create a truly GREAT nation.

[Biophilic]

35. Oh, my heavens, what a thought.

[Celerity]

40. it is true, as I lay out here in detail

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100214607876#post37

[George II]

2. There is no evidence that Rahm Emmanuel covered up the murder of Laquan McDonald....

That is a reckless accusation and an attack like that on a Democrat shouldn't be posted on Democratic Underground.

Where's the proof, any?

[Yavin4]

5. Other cabinet picks were dropped for far less.

See Tom Daschle.

[George II]

9. That's not the point. That accusation is totally untrue and is a baseless attack on a Democrat.

[BComplex]

13. It's not like AOC to throw something like that out there if she doesn't know what she's talking

about. I think it should be researched first.

[lapucelle]

20. ...

https://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-says-shes-upset-by-loss-of-democratic-house-majority-which-is-not-a-thing-that-happened/

[BComplex]

24. She was talking about the fact that our majority was REDUCED by the election, and everyone knew

exactly what she was talking about.

[lapucelle]

82. Some would say it's disrespectful to explain what a woman in power "really meant"

when the words are perfectly clear and there is contextualized video of the actual statement.

[BComplex]

83. There are some that would say near about anything.

[George II]

94. Yep.

[George II]

91. That's not what she said. The video is there in that post.

[BComplex]

98. I listened to the video. I knew what she was talking about.

[Cha]

87. OMG.. & There it IS.. It can't get

any More Clear Than THAT.

TY!

[Yavin4]

15. It was not baseless. Rahm withheld evidence

Rahm Emanuel faced a great deal of criticism for his handling of the October 20, 2014, police shooting of Laquan McDonald. The dash-cam video of the shooting was initially withheld, and only was released after a judge ordered it on November 24, 2015. After the video release, Emanuel was condemned for covering up the incident and allowing Chicago police to use excessive force against minorities.[120] Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote that the Emanuel administration withheld from the public the police dashboard camera video of the shooting in order to secure the reelection.[121] Emanuel responded to criticism of the shooting and how it was handled by firing police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.[122] In early December, the federal Justice Department announced an investigation into the Chicago Police Department, a move which Emanuel initially called "misguided".[123] Illinois state legislator La Shawn Ford also introduced a bill to recall the mayor (an effort most pundits claim is more symbolic than practical).[124]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel

[Hortensis]

33. :) Did you write this, Yavin? I didn't realize until now that

the text I inserted had been replaced. (:

[ShazzieB]

77. AOC's attaci is not baseless at all.

I guess you must not be from the Chicago area. If you were, you'd know what a scandal this was and wouldn't be defending Rahm so vigorously. It's not a good look, dude.

[George II]

78. The handling of the shooting was a scandal, but there was no "cover up of a murder" by the Mayor.

[pnwmom]

99. For less than a false accusation? nt

[LizBeth]

16. Tlaibs yesterday was not good. I was talking to my son this morning about it. We were banking on AOC

being real. Now we get to educate ourselves on this story since we were given no facts, simply accusations. Serious accusations. I really do not want Rahm for other reasons and far from a fan.

[llashram]

8. this is premature

and outrageous at this time. I sure hope some semblance of unity in our PARTY can be maintained until AFTER Jan 20th, please...

[ms liberty]

10. I don't know this story but it doesn't change my opinion of Rahm Emanuel

I already can't stand him and don't think he should have a place in Joe's administration anyway.

[Horse with no Name]

63. Agreed.

I can’t stand him and feel that he is not someone who needs to be in the administration.

[panader0]

11. The failures of Emanuel listed here. Laquan McDonald is talked about near the bottom.

I think AOC was a bit over the top in her assessment, but Emanuel's actions about McDonald were not good.
https://theintercept.com/2019/05/20/chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-failures/

[Hortensis]

39. The Intercept? Routine heavily loaded wording to deceive, omission of facts,

and sometimes outright lying. LW counterpart to RW political media, its market those who see confirmation of personal biases as being informed.

Btw, founder Glenn Greenwald was forced to resign his operative position, due to a major scandal involving ordering writers to push lies about VP Biden, but is still an owner.

[Celerity]

42. here is plenty of non-Intercept detail to show the stonewalling and cover-up attempts

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100214607876#post37

[Hortensis]

45. Please tell me the anti-Democrat left isn't trying to set racial bonfires

in the Democratic Party before we've even secured the presidency AND WITH CONTROL OF THE SENATE STILL OPEN.

A third of Georgians are black. On January 5, we're going to find out if getting another Thurgood Marshall appointed to the high court to start fixing that 6-3 hard-right majority is possible. Or completely impossible.

Wannabe revolutionaries need trouble, not wellbeing.

[Withywindle]

86. Appointing Emanuel to ANYTHING is what would "set off racial bonfires"

as if that's not loaded language or anything.

The fires are already raging, if you haven't noticed. The way to heal that is to actually take the concerns of the BLM movement seriously and make positive strides in that direction. Letting Rahm ANYWHERE NEAR this administration is slap in the face to the Black community and everyone who gives a damn about police brutality.

I live in Chicago. I volunteered for Chuy Garcia's mayoral campaign to unseat him in 2015. (Garcia is my Congressman now). Rahm's name is MUD in the mixed, mostly Black and Latino wards I canvassed. People were desperate to get him out even before the McDonald story broke big. After it did, his approval rating in Chicago dropped to below 25%. This is not the only reason he's loathed there, by the way, just the most violent and egregious.

Appointing him would be an insult to the voters who secured Biden's win.

[Hortensis]

88. If that is so, there is NO chance of an appointment.

What's not to understand about who we elected and our goals?

People who feel as you do are either right and shouldn't bother getting all exercised about it, or they're wrong and shouldn't get all worried about it.

*************

As for appointing him being an "insult" to Democratic voters, get real. Virtually any major or governor in the country could be attacked over the same issue. So why is this one so evil? He was demonized by the far left just as they and the right demonized Hillary -- for the same purposes. To defeat her in 2016.

Have we learned nothing from the trumpsters and from our dreadful catastrophe in 2016? Or the big trouble that listening to dissident agitators has brought home to all of us since?!

Trumped-up antagonisms are energizing, and running with mobs may feel good while it lasts. But it's inevitably stupid and self destructive -- and in our case throws the nation to the Republicans. Say no to being jerked around by those trying to set bad trouble.

[Withywindle]

92. By "the far left" do you mean 75% of the population of Chicago?

That's who wanted him gone. For many many many reasons. Virtually all Democrats, because Chicago is a very Democratic city.

We elected Biden and Harris because they are open to constructive criticism. I support them, I want them to do well, and I want an environment where legitimate concerns like this can be raised and addressed.


Edit: They will not lose any popular support by deciding not to appoint Rahm to anything. There's no huge pro-Rahm community out there. They won't even do him any harm. He's not entitled to it.

[Hortensis]

101. No, I don't. I mean those still suffering from lack of closure

from their Hillary-hate and failed "revolution" who haven't made the connection between that and their kneejerk attitude toward this (black deleted) man being presented as a corrupt racist to jerk their knees now. Same game, same jerk.

I said, and I'll repeat: the nationwide far-left spite among the antagonistic populist left toward this one mayor originated with his relationship to the Clintons, not because he's is worse than other Democratic mayors. And, of course, this liberal mayor is an angel compared to today's typical RW variety. Whether mainstream Chicagoans are ready for a change is an entirely different kettle of voters.

Btw, regarding all this current noise about social justice, as I'm sure you'll recall, the Sanders camp had a real problem with AA. Sanders wouldn't support AA social justice issues (populist leaders can't), and his followers then angrily resented the aggressive hell out of the AA bloc not falling in line behind their leader anyway. They attacked them for many months -- and still are through this surrogate black mayor.

Aggressively hostile followers are like a massive fund of campaign donations in the bank for populist leaders -- you hold them ready for when needed. And apparently it's time to switch them on now that we've elected Biden-Harris.

And speaking of, not only did a quarter of Sanders' voters refuse to vote Democratic, knowing it would help elect Trump and his white supremacists, but HALF of those voted directly for Trump and white supremacism, were indistinguishable, just like their behaviors.

And they're all still at it. Not a nice crowd to even accidentally be enabling in 2020.

[Withywindle]

102. What black man are you talking about?

Do you think Rahm Emanuel is Black? I assure you, he is not.

[Hortensis]

104. :) Sorry, I do need to change that. Jewish Israeli background, which

both the the populist left and many among the anti-Democrat far left tend to have various problems with. And his support BY AA also attracted the hostility of both.

Btw, everyone should know populist movements all contain large components of social conservatives. That's how come their hard cores could support Trump or Sanders, whichever survived. Political scientists could have predicted in 2000 that a LW populist movement in 2016 would not do what was necessary to add America's black Democrats to their ranks. Too extremist in attitudes to appeal, too socially conservative to accept.

And flares of antisemitism from the far left are never a surprise. Many have a lot more in common with their fellows on the far right than the tolerant mainstream.

[Withywindle]

108. You obviously have no idea what you're talking about

If you thought Rahm Emanuel was Black, oh my god. And no, he is NOT popular with Black people in Chicago. (We have an actual Black mayor now.)


I have no idea why you're frothing about Bernie Sanders in a post that has nothing to do with him. You don't have to be a Bernie Bro to think Rahm Emanuel does NOT deserve a Biden admin position.

[Hortensis]

113. It was their attitude. Hate's hate. Stop imagining Ocasio

is about Chicago. She's from NY and draws from across the nation, a nexus where a lot of idealistic innocents intersect the kind whom well meaning people should not be empowering.

Everyone should be able to recognize trumpist-type behaviors, without him and regardless of what label they're masquerading behind.

[Withywindle]

116. When you're in a hole, stop digging

That's my advice. You're trying to have a totally different argument than the one this topic is actually about. Chicago is relevant because that is where Rahm is FROM. WHERE HE LIVES. THE CITY THAT LARGELY HATES HIM FOR VERY GOOD REASONS. AOC is entitled to her opinion, and on this particular subject, she's right.

[Hortensis]

119. It's about the dangers of extremism, Withy. Russia was

reportedly hoping to unite LW extremists with the right to create an electoral majority. Augmenting the existing efforts of our authoritarian/religious RW working to take over.

This is how democracies are destroyed.

The battle continues. We haven't won that.

Way past time to understand and identify the political forces active in our nation.

RW authoritarians are overwhelmingly numerous, organized, funded, energized, enraged, and powerful. If Democrats don't hold democracy, this becomes a RW autocracy, probably religious version. Those who imagine LW revolutionaries could prevail are beyond silly.

And after some giddy excitement among those who'd thought destroying our democracy and the mainstream voters' establishment was a good thing, they wouldn't like what always comes next at all.

End of all the old dreams.

[LizBeth]

14. "the murder of Laquan McDonald" I guess the facts of al this will be in this story.

[dchill]

17. Rahm Emmanuel was not part of the solution.

He was part of the problem.

[Yavin4]

18. Other Administration picks, Tom Daschle and Van Jones were dropped for far less.

AOC is right about this.

[BGBD]

21. Big difference

In "covering up a murder" and not immediately releasing a dash cam to the public.

Is every DA office in the country covering up id they don't publicly release all evidence before even charging someone?



OAC has s lot of selected outrage. I haven't heard of her taking to Twitter to publicly call out Talib for suggesting a Jewish SoS would be more loyal to Israel than the US Constitution.

[LAS14]

121. Helpful post. Thanks. nt

[PatSeg]

22. We as Democrats have a hard road ahead of us

For the sake of my sanity, I think I'm not going to listen to her for awhile. I really need to hear some unifying voices at this time. Maybe we could save some of the attacks for republicans, at least until we get some kind of order back in Washington.

I'm not a huge fan of Rahm Emanuel, but I think we have more important issues right now. If we go looking for reasons to find fault with the new administration, we probably might find them. Meanwhile, republicans could be destroying our democracy, as they are wont to do.

[Celerity]

23. she is not the first nor the only elected Democratic House member to post this

Mondaire Jones
@MondaireJones

Congressman-Elect, NY-17 (Westchester/Rockland). Lawyer. Activist. Nonprofit Founder. Progressive. Former: Obama DOJ; Westchester Law Dep’t. He/Him

Nov 21

Rahm Emanuel covered up the murder of a Black teenager, Laquan McDonald, while he was Mayor of Chicago.

That he's being considered for a cabinet position is completely outrageous and, honestly, very hurtful.

Link to tweet

[George II]

29. That doesn't make it true. Rahm Emmanuel did NOT "cover up the murder".

[Celerity]

38. absolutely disagree, the facts do not back up your claims at all, as I laid out in detail in post 37

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100214607876#post37

[George II]

41. If Rahm Emmanuel covered up a murder he wouldn't be walking the streets or....

....be under consideration for a Cabinet post.

[Celerity]

52. That's a non sequitur, as there are different levels of political stonewalling & coverup, not all of

which are prosecuted. The fact it was not prosecuted is non-germane to simple facts of what happened. This all involves an political appointment decision, not a court of law, and therefore appearances matter, a lot.

[George II]

61. If he covered up a murder, he would have been charged. Plain and simple. The fact that an editor....

....for a right wing newspaper, Chicago Tribune, claims it doesn't mean it happened.

[Celerity]

69. No, you are simply wrong, as I have extensively shown. And I also utterly reject your reductionist

ad hominem attempts to try and play attack the messenger games, whilst ignoring the rest of the sources, the other people (including another elected Democratic House member who said this before AOC, not to mention dozens of others in Illinois and elsewhere) who say the same thing as AOC. Finally, I reject your ignoring the simple facts of the entire case, which go a very long way to making your re-framing of the narrative attempts to be less than effectual.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

56. Oh my sweet summer child.

[cwydro]

84. I'm actually amazed so many DUers don't know of this.

I don’t live anywhere near Chicago, but I remember it well.

[Ace Rothstein]

95. Covered up may be the wrong term here.

But Rahm definitely did not approach the McDonald murder how he should have.

[Dem4Life1102]

25. Just some background

Calls for Rahm Emanuel's resignation
McDonald's killing occurred four months before Emanuel faced a difficult campaign for reelection in February 2015. (He failed to win the majority and was elected by 56 percent in a runoff election—the first in Chicago's history— against Jesús "Chuy" García).[39][125] The delayed timing of release of the video, the Chicago City Council's awarding the family $5 million within weeks of McDonald's death,[39] and Emanuel firing Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy,[118] prompted some commentators to accuse the city of cover-up.

Journalist Ben Joravsky wrote in the Chicago Reader:

Just imagine [if] Mayor Emanuel had released the video in, say, November [2014]—without being forced to by a lawsuit.... But of course, he didn't do the right thing. He buried the video. He allowed officials to mislead the public. He hid the tapes because most likely he [...] assumed it would hurt his reelection campaign. Thus he not only did the immoral thing, he did the politically stupid thing. Cook County state's attorney Anita Alvarez probably would've quickly responded with an indictment—just like she did earlier this week, when the tape actually was released. I mean, it's really hard to look at that tape and not call for an indictment. If the mayor had done that, he wouldn't be the villain in this sordid story. He'd be the hero. Or at least the guy who finally, for once in his life, did the right thing.[126]

Emanuel subsequently created the Task Force on Police Accountability to review current training and oversight for Chicago's police officers.[127][128] He also maintained he never saw the dash-cam video until it was publicly released and would not resign.[128] Emanuel's image received a blow when U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang accused city attorney Jordan Marsh, an attorney who handled cases in the office that represents the city in police misconduct lawsuits, of hiding evidence in a fatal police shooting.[129]

There was no legal mechanism to force Emanuel's resignation.[130] State representative La Shawn K. Ford filed House Bill 4356 to set up the mechanism for a recall election,[131] but it was not passed. Illinois Republican governor Bruce Rauner said he would sign such a bill.[132]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Laquan_McDonald#Calls_for_Rahm_Emanuel's_resignation

[Sympthsical]

26. BLM only matters if no Democratic politicians get hurt, it seems

People here don't seem to know this story at all. It was huge in Chicago. The mayor's office and the police department stonewalled public knowledge of the full incident right into the ground. This wasn't about McDonald. This was Rahm delaying anything about the case until his re-election was secured.

When people say, "Oh, they only delayed the release of the video. Oh, the officer was convicted." Well, yeah, but only after massive, massive, massive community pressure. People were just plain pissed off. This was a child. He was shot sixteen times while walking away from the police. Officials knew this and decided the public didn't need to know the full story.

Once Rahm was re-elected and a judge got involved, then he suddenly acted. It resulted in weeks of protests.

It is a large part of why he didn't run for a third term. Google exists, people. I know the story because I'm from there and read the local papers regularly.

I'm not surprised people are defending him. Par for the conservative Democratic course. But we do not need this guy. He is popular inside the Beltway. Ask Chicagoans - particularly black Chicagoans - what they think of him.

Biden appointing him to anything would be a mistake. But, of course, because AOC said anything at all, the people who hate her will come to his defense. Surprised Pikachu face.

[Dem4Life1102]

27. Well said nt

[radius777]

50. +1. AOC and the Squad get hated on for being outspoken WoC

who say things that make some people uncomfortable.

Rahm should not be anywhere near a Dem admin.

The issue of police brutality is an institutional issue that both political parties have been complicit in for years.

If we are to show the youth, PoC etc that we are committed to police reform we can't be hiring someone like Rahm, who is also not good for other reasons that turn of those voting blocs.

[loveandlight]

53. thank you for posting these facts

If Black lives are going to really matter in this new administration, they have to be more aware and particular in who they are looking at for these positions. We have to take our blinders off. I remember reading about this in the news when it happened. This is going to be a real important part of what Biden does in his new administration. Will he be serious about BLM or just talk? That is a serious conversation and his administration needs to be held to account. He's already picked a lot of good people in other positions. I hope they don't ruin it with this one.

[treestar]

28. Let me guess: "covering up a murder" is

an extreme exaggeration.

[Sympthsical]

30. Suppressing evidence from the public until after re-election is no big deal then?

Because in the age of BLM, that seems pretty disqualifying to me.

[treestar]

34. Did he actually do this?

That would be the question. It is typical of arguers to use the worst classifying words they can come up with.

[Sympthsical]

43. He did. It's a very well-known story

I guess it mostly remained a Chicago thing. But it was quite prominent in the media there for several years. And, as I said, it played a large role in why Rahm didn't seek a third term. His approval was wrecked by the whole thing.

At least they have Lightfoot now. That woman is ace.

[bullwinkle428]

64. Here's an excerpt from an article - you can be the judge on this.

Contrary to his friend George Stephanopolous and other celebrity journalists who gush over Emanuel, Chicagoans know his tenure as mayor was punctuated by lost opportunity, not blockbuster accomplishment. His administration and Police Department stood widely accused of covering up the October 2014 murder of a 17-year-old black kid by a white police officer who shot him 16 times on a Southwest Side street. The dashboard camera video of Laquan McDonald walking away from officers — posing no clear threat and then twisting to the ground as puffs of gun smoke curled up from his clothing — is now a haunting piece of Emanuel’s legacy.

Not until Emanuel was safely reelected in 2015, until the City Council approved a $5 million settlement for the teen’s family, until a judge forced the release of the video, until 80 minutes of nearby surveillance video went missing, until Emanuel could get his spin machine up and running, until the Cook County state’s attorney formally charged the police officer, did Emanuel finally acknowledge the city’s rightful outrage and his own vulnerability.

When the video finally was released in November 2015, it sparked weeks of protests. It led to a second-degree murder conviction for police Officer Jason Van Dyke. It shook any confidence the city could muster toward its Police Department.

Emanuel never recovered politically.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/kristen-mcqueary/ct-column-rahm-emanuel-laquan-mcdonald-atlantic-mcqueary-20200203-4jci7bctbfdfffor4etlhs33wu-story.html

[treestar]

93. Just the facts - is that anywhere

that makes no attempt at objectivity.

Rahm was the mayor, I thought, not a cop, or the supervisor of cops, or the prosecutor.

IMO I remember people hated Rahm 12 years ago when Obama made him I think it was chief of staff.

The main complaint seems to be that some of the video evidence was not made public - might be better to leave it to the jury rather than rile up the jury pool first. And if that video had been out, Rahm would not have won the election? That's a stretch, too. Also the timing could be convenient to Rahm but not have been under his control.

The cop was convicted, too.

[Ace Rothstein]

96. It took over a year for the video to come out.

The city paid out a settlement to the kid's family before the family even filed a suit. Maybe calling it a cover up is a bit extreme but Rahm fucked this one up badly.

[treestar]

106. Maybe but is it a sure thing Rahm was

the cause of it? As mayor, how much is he in charge of the prosecutor's office. They did pay a settlement and the guy was convicted. So whether Rahm might have lost the election merely due to the video coming out is something I would defer to people in Chicago.

[ucrdem]

115. Absent a smoking gun, this does seem grossly irresponsible.

Thanks for drilling down

[Politicub]

124. Post #80 summarizes the research I did.

It isn’t from opinion articles or Wikipedia.

[Autumn]

49. " The Emanuel administration withheld from the public the police dashboard camera video of

the shooting in order to secure the reelection." That is not an extreme exaggeration, that's a fact. There was a lot written on it at the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel
In August 2012, a federal lawsuit was filed by eleven Chicago police officers alleging they were removed from the mayoral security detail and replaced with officers who worked on Emanuel's mayoral campaign, in violation of the 1983 Shakman Decree, which bars city officials from making political considerations in the hiring process.[119]

Rahm Emanuel faced a great deal of criticism for his handling of the October 20, 2014, police shooting of Laquan McDonald. The dash-cam video of the shooting was initially withheld, and only was released after a judge ordered it on November 24, 2015. After the video release, Emanuel was condemned for covering up the incident and allowing Chicago police to use excessive force against minorities.[120] Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote that the Emanuel administration withheld from the public the police dashboard camera video of the shooting in order to secure the reelection.[121] Emanuel responded to criticism of the shooting and how it was handled by firing police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.[122] In early December, the federal Justice Department announced an investigation into the Chicago Police Department, a move which Emanuel initially called "misguided".[123] Illinois state legislator La Shawn Ford also introduced a bill to recall the mayor (an effort most pundits claim is more symbolic than practical).[124]

[cwydro]

31. I'm not a fan of AOC, but she's not wrong here.

[Hortensis]

67. Stoking racial divisions is bad trouble always. With 2 GA SENATE SEATS OPEN

and the future of our nation still on the line, it's extremely bad trouble NOW.

Democrats won Georgia by a hair, and getting control of the senate is an uphill battle.

We need everyone voting our power for America's future. Even a few staying home out of racial anger could lose us the opportunity to restore the principle of equality and justice, and widespread wellbeing, to our nation.

God, I wish John Lewis and all the rest of the black leaders lost in the past couple of years could be here to call for people to make good trouble. None of them were fooled about what that is. And isn't.

[Arazi]

76. Rahm Emanuel is toxic to what Biden is building. No way should he be anywhere near the WH

[ShazzieB]

79. Agreed.

I hope to hell Biden does not appoint him to anything. Rahm is hated in Chicago and his being on the cabinet would alienate a LOT of people, which is the last thing Joe wants or needs.

[Withywindle]

120. +1

He may think he's entitled to a job, but he isn't.

[Politicub]

80. I did some research about this murder. I'm ashamed to say

I did not know about it.

The Chicago Tribune has done a lot of reporting about what happened. Much of the site is behind a paywall, but I was able to read articles using my iPad’s reader view when the pay gate popped up.

This is a complicated story. Emmanuel did place roadblocks to the video being released. But this is not the entire story. It involves a lot of bureaucracy in Chicago’s government as well as stonewalling by the Police Union.

This lengthy article, which summarizes emails from Emmanuel and others at the time, was out together from 5,000 pages of emails obtained through a FOIA request: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-laquan-mcdonald-emails-met-0101-20151231-story.html

And here’s a timeline: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/laquan-mcdonald/ct-graphics-laquan-mcdonald-officers-fired-timeline-htmlstory.html

While I am no fan of Emmanuel and disappointed to hear that he may be part of the Biden administration, I am also disappointed by AOC. She is using what happened to implicate large swaths of the Democratic coalition — the so-called center — that had nothing to do with what happened.

It’s clear that McDonald’s murder wasn’t handled in a morally right or just way by the city or police department. McDonald’s case was not handled swiftly. There was a lot of ignorant stonewalling and worrying about talking points. The police Union was also complicit. As were the courts because the officer received what amounts to a slap on the wrist short sentence for a first-degree murder.

[LAS14]

122. Thank you very much! nt

[ucrdem]

109. Welp, that's one progressive voice that won't be on any short lists

or long lists

[Hekate]

126. Oh, joy unbounded. Look at you all ripping other Dems apart.