You know that your reputation has been irreparably damaged if, when confronted with a decision with two alternative courses of action, whichever course you select is condemned. That’s now the situation that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel faces. You see, the city has been fighting the release of a video showing Chicago police gunning down another kid and yesterday, inexplicably, the city stopped objecting. Fox 32 Chicago reports:
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday granted the release of 2013 surveillance video showing a white Chicago police officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old black carjacking suspect after the city withdrew its objection to it being made public.
The city could release the video of 17-year-old Cedrick Chatman’s death within hours, but a spokesman for the city’s Law Department didn’t immediately respond to an email asking when it would do so.
The universal reaction to the city’s action was to condemn it as politically motivated. Now in Chicago any action by City Hall can reasonably be characterized as “politically motivated” but I think this story illustrates that at this point Mayor Emanuel just can’t win.
Judge: “I went to a lot of trouble to decide this issue, and then I get this motion last night saying that this is the age of enlightenment with the city and we’re going to be transparent. I think it’s irresponsible.â€
So, the Judge agreed that the video should not be released, and appears pissed that he wasted his time making the decision and pissed that its been released and he will have to oversee a lengthy voir dire to find an impartial jury that hasn’t seen or formed opinions about the video.
I cannot tell anything from the video. Its odd and somewhat distracting to watch the car the kid bolted from continue hitting the van in front of it at the stop light.
I can only hope we can learn to live together and end the divisiveness.
And move FORWARD with unity once and for all.