WASHINGTON — The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, on Tuesday urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to bring federal civil rights charges against the white Chicago police officer who fatally shot Black teenager Laquan McDonald.
A letter to Garland, sent by NAACP President Derrick Johnson, comes days before former officer Jason Van Dyke is scheduled to be released from prison after serving less than half of his state prison term of six years and nine months. Van Dyke was convicted of murder in October 2018 in the killing of McDonald and is scheduled to be released from prison on Thursday.
The 2014 shooting prompted massive protests in Chicago after a judge forced the city to release video that showed Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times. Many of the shots were fired when the 17-year-old was already on the ground. The police superintendent was subsequently fired, the county’s top prosecutor was voted out of office and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was widely criticized for his handling of the case, decided not to run for reelection.
The Justice Department opened a wide investigation into the practices of the Chicago Police Department after McDonald’s killing, which resulted in a blistering report that found Chicago officers routinely used excessive force and violated the rights of residents, particularly minorities. The agency also opened a federal probe into the shooting.
But years after the announcement, civil rights leaders, including Johnson, want the Justice Department to move now to bring federal charges against Van Dyke.
“Given the egregious nature of his crime, the NAACP believes that at a minimum, the murderous officer should be charged with a federal civil rights violation under Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242 — Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law,” Johnson wrote in the letter to Garland.
U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth also sent a letter to Garland asking for an update on the status of a federal investigation into the shooting.
“The facts of this case remain shocking and upsetting,” the senators wrote.
“Van Dyke’s state conviction and sentencing do not preempt or negate the interest of the federal government, if the evidence supports charging Van Dyke with violating McDonald’s civil rights.”
To bring federal civil rights charges, federal prosecutors must prove that an officer’s actions willfully broke the law and were not simply the result of a mistake, negligence or bad judgment. It has been a consistently tough burden for federal prosecutors to meet across both Democratic and Republican administrations.
“Throughout our 113-year history, the NAACP has advocated for a fair and equitable justice system that holds those fully accountable for their actions,” Johnson wrote. “We have seen unfair and inequitable favor given to law enforcement officers who unjustly take the lives of members of the Black community and have fought fervently in opposition to such favor.”
U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush, D-Ill., and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have been among those objecting to Van Dyke’s release and have also called on the Justice Department to bring federal charges.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One of McDonald’s relatives, his great-uncle the Rev. Marvin Hunter, said he believes Van Dyke should have received a much longer state prison sentence. But he said he would be against charging Van Dyke in federal court.
“If you set this precedent of reconvicting people because you don’t think he got enough time, then hundreds of thousands of Black men in Illinois alone could be harmed,” Hunter said. “They will use this case as a way to keep them incarcerated. This is a back door to perpetuate slavery. We should be very careful of this kind of precedent.”
