Activists bring casket to City Hall; Preckwinkle calls for McCarthy's exit

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - Protests continued in Chicago on Saturday, with community leaders promising that the city will see more activism in the coming weeks.

On Saturday morning, marchers carried a black casket around City Hall in honor of Laquan McDonald, 17, who was shot dead by a Chicago police officer last year. That officer faces first-degree murder charges. Those marchers also said the casket was in memory of Tyshawn Lee, 9, who was shot and killed execution-style by gang members; his death has not garnered the same level of protests as McDonald’s.

On Saturday evening, a small group of demonstrators led by “Stop Mass Incarceration” marched up and down Michigan Avenue as police watched. Four were arrested.

“The whole city should really be in an uproar,” said Levon Barnes, a teacher, youth leader and protester from North Carolina. “Nobody at 17 years old should be killed. Sixteen shots is excessive. [But] it’s not just about somebody just getting killed. It's about the treatment of black individuals and Hispanic people. Everyone should be treated fairly.”

The protests that followed the Chicago Police Department’s release of dash cam video showing McDonald’s death have been organized by Black Youth Project 100, the Chicago Teachers Union and Rainbow/PUSH. On Saturday, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Chicago) said he is going to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the police department. Rev. Jesse Jackson called for Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy to step down or be fired; a special prosecutor to take over the investigation into McDonald’s death; and a change of culture in the police department.

“Nine police officers saw McDonald murdered,” Jackson said. “They didn’t try to stop the murder.”

Jackson said his group is planning on protesting on State Street on some unspecified future date.

“We are prepared for the long haul,” he said.