The Toxic Legacy

“Sixteen shots,” thousands of demonstrators in Chicago chanted this week. They have been angry since the release of a video showing Laquan McDonald riddled with 16 bullets.

They could have just as well cried: “17 years.” That was the age of this black teen when he was killed by a white police officer.

It would not be surprising either to hear them chanting the number 20. Because at least 20 complaints have been filed against this police officer over his 14-year career. Ten times he was reproached for “excessive use of force.” But his superiors never cracked down on him.

One of these complaints was also filed because of insults of a racist or ethnic nature. All of the complaints seem to indicate this 37-year-old police officer was a ticking time bomb.

These protesters are understandably furious. Especially because the tragedy took place in October 2014, and the police officer’s indictment was only announced this week, when a court ordered the release of the video.

If these images hadn’t been revealed, would the officer have been accused?

The work of 680,000 police officers in the United States – a country where 300 million firearms circulate – is anything but child’s play. In Chicago, where violent crime is commonplace, it is certainly still more complex and dangerous.

But the fact remains that police misconduct on American soil occurs regularly (with alarming frequency) and follows a pattern. Confrontations too often take place between white officers and black victims. And after nearly two years, through the release of numerous videos and the mobilization of the black community, we are more aware of this appalling situation than ever before.

One of these confrontations resulted in the death of Michael Brown, in August 2014, in Ferguson. This Missouri city then became the site of violent demonstrations. President Barack Obama recognized this was not an “isolated incident.”

This is, indeed, a system in full force, manifesting remnants of the toxic legacy of institutionalized racism, and it must be reformed.

We can start with the attitude of the law enforcement officials who work on the ground. Both with respect to the – documented – discrimination they show when they challenge their fellow citizens, and in terms of their use of force. Not to mention the judicial authorities, which generally show more leniency toward whites than blacks.

It has been written repeatedly: The election of a black president in the United States seven years ago was, itself, a true revolution. Laquan McDonald’s death cruelly reminds us once more that the fight against racial inequality is still far, far from over.