April 01--A handful of demonstrators gathered Thursday outside Chicago police union headquarters to denounce the hiring of Jason Van Dyke, the officer charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald.
Dean Angelo, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7, said the union hired Van Dyke as a janitor about three weeks ago.
"It's a slap in the face to Chicago residents," said activist Ja'Mal Green.
Protesters said the police union should not have given a job to an officer charged with murder at a time when the Chicago Police Department is trying to regain trust in local communities.
Green and other demonstrators demanded to speak with Angelo and called for Van Dyke to be fired. They were blocked from the door by a row of officers.
"If I was a citizen in Chicago, and I murdered somebody ... no job would hire me," said protester Jared Steverson. "Treat him as you would treat any regular citizen."
Cornelius Longstreet, a retired Chicago police detective and former union member, also spoke against the hiring, saying the union was "sending a bad message."
Gary Snow, of the south suburbs, was the lone police supporter. "The FOP has the authority to hire who they want to hire," he said.
Snow was asked to leave by officers after a tense confrontation with protesters.
A second protest is planned at the building at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
"We're going to say to the leaders, to the politicians, to Dean Angelo, this stuff is coming to an end, being peaceful, marching," Green said. "I'm not saying that we're going to be violent ... but what I'm saying is, we're tired."
The Police Department and its handling of police shootings have been in the spotlight as a result of the case of McDonald, a 17-year-old African-American who was fatally shot by Van Dyke, a white officer, in October 2014. A dash-cam video captured the shooting of McDonald, who was holding a knife when he was shot 16 times by Van Dyke. He was charged in November in the on-duty killing just hours before the court-ordered release of the video.
Angelo said Van Dyke, who was suspended without pay from the department after he was charged, is in a "very difficult situation, financially." Angelo said the union would do the same for any Chicago officer.
The union said Van Dyke lost other jobs because of publicity around the case, and threats closed his wife's business.
Associated Press contributed.
jkuang@tribpub.com
