Three protests are planned around the city of Chicago Friday, as Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke appears before a judge on charges in the 2014 murder of Laquan McDonald, reports WLS-TV.
Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder and official misconduct in the shooting death of 17-year-old McDonald.
Three rallies are planned for Friday, aiming to disrupt business as usual in several parts of the city. One of those protests targeted holiday travelers at Midway Airport around 10 a.m.
Demonstrators gathered at 59th and Kilpatrick. They marched to Midway, briefly blocking traffic on Cicero Avenue. Protesters said they want to demonstrate peacefully, but also cause as much disruption as possible.
The next planned protest is scheduled to take place around noon outside the criminal courthouse at 26th and California. Demonstrators plan to move to Daley Plaza at 3:16 p.m. - the minute chosen to symbolize the 16 times McDonald was shot. The whole group will then march to the Thompson Center to urge Illinois lawmakers to approve a bill that could oust Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
