Chicago Prosecutor Seeks Reelection Following Laquan McDonald Video Release

It’s election day in Chicago and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is seeking reelection, but it may be tough for the public servant to retain her position in power. 

The Washington Post reports that Alvarez battles with voter trust following the incident shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. 

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McDonald was shot 16 times by a police officer in October 2014. A video, which was later determined to have been captured on a dash cam camera that had been tampered with, was released to the public in November 2015. 

The community, as well as other public figures like Black Lives Matter activist Aislinn Pulley, are calling for Alvarez’s replacement citing her failure to be a dutiful advocate for the city. 

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“If Anita Alvarez is voted out of office, it sends a message to the state’s attorney’s office in Cook County as well as nationally that there is movement holding the entire system accountable for the culture of complicity that pervades every aspect of government,” Pulley said. “That includes prosecutors.”

Because Alvarez waited 400 days to file charges against Officer Jason Van Dyke, the cop who killed McDonald, she will steadily be in a battle to explain her decision should she be reelected. 

“It’s politically incorrect to openly support Alvarez now. [The McDonald case has] just dominated the city headlines for weeks,” said Paul Green, director of the Institute for Politics at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Alvarez was elected as States Attorney in 2008 making her the first Hispanic woman voted to this position. 

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