From the Revolution Club Chicago:

January 18 Protest: Sentence Van Dyke to Jail—The Whole Damn System is Guilty as Hell!

January 17, 2019 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

Revcom.us received the following press release and statement from the Revolution Club Chicago, issued after a judge declared the three Chicago cops on trial for coverup in the police murder of Laquan MacDonald were declared “not guilty.”

Rally: Revolution Club Chicago & Stolen Lives Families:
LaToya Howell - mother of Justus Howell murdered by Zion Police
Chantell Brooks - mother of Michael Wesley
Gloria Pinex - mother of Darius Pinex
Shante Needham - sister of Sandra Bland - a statement
And other Stolen Lives Families

Where: Cook County Criminal Court House, 2650 S. California Ave.

When: Friday, January 18, 1-4 pm

Contact Information: 773-329-5014

CHICAGO GODDAMN!
STATEMENT BY THE REVOLUTION CLUB CHICAGO

A Crook County Judge has just issued a not guilty on all counts verdict in the case of 3 CPD officers charged in the conspiracy to cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald by the murderer Jason Van Dyke.

As we have noted before, that very fact the only 3 officers were charged in this crime, despite direct involvement of numerous other officers, commanders, and the mayor himself, was already outrageous and the precursor to potentially sweeping all this under the rug.

To explain why the officers could not be held accountable for false statements and reports the judge included in her decision that essentially no evidence can disprove what a police officer says they "believe" happened. Ominously, this involves repeating and perhaps expanding the modern day Dred Scott standard that allows police to simply say they "believed" their life was in danger to avoid prosecution when they are caught murdering Black and Brown people. Additionally, the judge took the fact that numerous supervising officers (who were not charged in this case) reviewed and approved the lies and cover-up as proof that there was no cover-up.

We will see what this will mean for the sentencing of Jason Van Dyke for the murder of Laquan McDonald tomorrow, because criminalizing Laquan was yet again a feature of this trial and verdict. Much more can and should be said about this verdict, but it boils down to this:

The systematic and systemic nature of police murder along with systematic lies and misinformation campaigns carried out by all levels of the government to defend these murderers has just been given judicial blessing and approval EVEN in the face of damning and illuminating exposure and truth-telling. The Revolution Club Chicago calls on everyone to join us tomorrow, 1:00 pm, at 26th and California in front of the Cook County Courthouse to denounce this verdict, and respond to the sentencing of Jason Van Dyke which is to be given tomorrow.

This reveals, once again, that this system cannot be reformed, it must be overthrown. And as Bob Avakian puts it in BAsics 1:24, “The role of the police is not to serve and protect the people. It is to serve and protect the system that rules over the people….”