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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, On October 20, 2014, the Chicago Police Department
3was called to investigate reports that Laquan McDonald was
4carrying a knife and breaking into vehicles; video footage of
5the encounter shows that McDonald was walking away from Officer
6Jason Van Dyke when the first shot was fired; as McDonald lay
7on the ground, Officer Van Dyke fired more shots into him; in
8total, McDonald was shot 16 times in 14 to 15 seconds; Officer
9Van Dyke was on the scene for less than 30 seconds before
10opening fire and began shooting approximately six seconds after
11exiting his car; the first responding officer stated that he
12did not see the need to use force and none of the at least eight
13other officers on the scene fired their weapons; and
 
14    WHEREAS, On December 29, 2015, Officer Van Dyke pleaded not
15guilty to the charge of first-degree murder; this case marks
16the first time in 35 years a Chicago police officer has been
17charged with first-degree murder for an on-duty fatality; if
18convicted, Officer Van Dyke faces a prison sentence of 20 years
19to life; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald became a ward of the State at the
21age of three after alleged abuse and neglect complaints that
22were never proven; his mother, who had also been a ward of the
23State due to her caregiver's drug use, was only 15 at the time

 

 

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1of McDonald's birth; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald's early years were marked with
3instability; he was in and out of foster care, twice being
4placed in homes outside the family; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald had learning disabilities and was
6diagnosed with complex mental health problems, including
7post-traumatic stress disorder; the Inspector General stated
8that he was never given therapy related to sexual abuse despite
9"being a very angry child with definite aggressive tendencies,
10and (who) had knowledge of sex beyond his developmental age";
11and
 
12    WHEREAS, According to the Inspector General's report,
13Laquan McDonald's death should serve as a wake-up call to those
14in child welfare; investigators cited examples in McDonald's
15records in which services to help him and his family fell short
16or were offered too late to make a difference; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald's juvenile court records, usually
18confidential, were made public to the media; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Chicago Police Department has instituted a new
20excessive force policy as a result of an ongoing investigation
21by the United States Justice Department that began with the

 

 

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1shooting of Laquan McDonald; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
4declare October 20, 2016 as "Laquan McDonald Day" to bring
5attention to this tragic event in the hopes of preventing
6similar tragedies in the future; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That we encourage this day to be used to study
8and discuss why the State could not save Laquan McDonald and
9others like him and what might be done to ensure it never
10happens again; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
12delivered to all educational institutions and all police
13departments within the State of Illinois, and the Department of
14Children and Family Services and the Department of Human
15Services.