Full Text of HR1459 99th General Assembly
HR1459 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On October 20, 2014, the Chicago Police Department | 3 | | was called to investigate reports that Laquan McDonald was | 4 | | carrying a knife and breaking into vehicles; video footage of | 5 | | the encounter shows that McDonald was walking away from Officer | 6 | | Jason Van Dyke when the first shot was fired; as McDonald lay | 7 | | on the ground, Officer Van Dyke fired more shots into him; in | 8 | | total, McDonald was shot 16 times in 14 to 15 seconds; Officer | 9 | | Van Dyke was on the scene for less than 30 seconds before | 10 | | opening fire and began shooting approximately six seconds after | 11 | | exiting his car; the first responding officer stated that he | 12 | | did not see the need to use force and none of the at least eight | 13 | | other officers on the scene fired their weapons; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, On December 29, 2015, Officer Van Dyke pleaded not | 15 | | guilty to the charge of first-degree murder; this case marks | 16 | | the first time in 35 years a Chicago police officer has been | 17 | | charged with first-degree murder for an on-duty fatality; if | 18 | | convicted, Officer Van Dyke faces a prison sentence of 20 years | 19 | | to life; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald became a ward of the State at the | 21 | | age of three after alleged abuse and neglect complaints that | 22 | | were never proven; his mother, who had also been a ward of the | 23 | | State due to her caregiver's drug use, was only 15 at the time |
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| 1 | | of McDonald's birth; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald's early years were marked with | 3 | | instability; he was in and out of foster care, twice being | 4 | | placed in homes outside the family; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald had learning disabilities and was | 6 | | diagnosed with complex mental health problems, including | 7 | | post-traumatic stress disorder; the Inspector General stated | 8 | | that he was never given therapy related to sexual abuse despite | 9 | | "being a very angry child with definite aggressive tendencies, | 10 | | and (who) had knowledge of sex beyond his developmental age"; | 11 | | and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, According to the Inspector General's report, | 13 | | Laquan McDonald's death should serve as a wake-up call to those | 14 | | in child welfare; investigators cited examples in McDonald's | 15 | | records in which services to help him and his family fell short | 16 | | or were offered too late to make a difference; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald's juvenile court records, usually | 18 | | confidential, were made public to the media; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The Chicago Police Department has instituted a new | 20 | | excessive force policy as a result of an ongoing investigation | 21 | | by the United States Justice Department that began with the |
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| 1 | | shooting of Laquan McDonald; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 3 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 4 | | declare October 20, 2016 as "Laquan McDonald Day" to bring | 5 | | attention to this tragic event in the hopes of preventing | 6 | | similar tragedies in the future; and be it further | 7 | | RESOLVED, That we encourage this day to be used to study | 8 | | and discuss why the State could not save Laquan McDonald and | 9 | | others like him and what might be done to ensure it never | 10 | | happens again; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 12 | | delivered to all educational institutions and all police | 13 | | departments within the State of Illinois, and the Department of | 14 | | Children and Family Services and the Department of Human | 15 | | Services.
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