Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke fired 16 bullets into black
teenager Laquan McDonald, who was seen on video backing away. Officer Jason Van
Dyke is being held, without bail, on charges of first degree murder.
The point I want to make is not that Jason Van Dyke is like
most cops. He's not. My point is rather that true blue cop murderers like Jason
Van Dyke — and it's not only Chicago that harbors them — almost get away with
it. Cops protect cops. It's called the blue wall of silence. Prosecutors help
cement that wall. So, too often, do mayors and other city officials.
And, until recently, there were no videos to penetrate the wall.
It took a year of legal action to pry the video away from
the Chicago Police Department and make it public. According to the NY Times
(11/25/15), "records show that the officer had been the subject of
numerous complaints from residents, including allegations of using excessive
force and making racial slurs."
That fits, if not defines, the profile of a police murderer:
a history of abusive conduct, racial and otherwise, that ends in the sick
result of police murder, which, these days, can now and again, be spotlighted on
video.
Most cops are not like Jason Van Dyke. The ones who are
usually get away with it. The news is that Chicago is prosecuting this case.