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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald was a 17-year-old Chicago | ||||||
| 3 | teenager and Illinois resident who was shot 16 times by then | ||||||
| 4 | officer Jason Van Dyke on October 20, 2014 and died as a result | ||||||
| 5 | of his injuries; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Jason Van Dyke was charged with one count of | ||||||
| 7 | second degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery and | ||||||
| 8 | found guilty by a jury of his peers in the atrocious murder of | ||||||
| 9 | teenager Laquan McDonald; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, In the aftermath of this tragedy, on December 7, | ||||||
| 11 | 2015, former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch | ||||||
| 12 | announced that the United States Department of Justice Civil | ||||||
| 13 | Rights Division launched an investigation into the practices | ||||||
| 14 | and conduct that resulted in the death of Laquan McDonald; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, On January 13, 2017, the United States Department | ||||||
| 16 | of Justice Civil Rights Division and the United States | ||||||
| 17 | Attorney's Office Northern District of Illinois released a | ||||||
| 18 | joint report that disclosed incidents, patterns, and practices | ||||||
| 19 | deemed to be in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United | ||||||
| 20 | States Constitution; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, There has been a longstanding cyclical, painful, | ||||||
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| 1 | and robustly uncomfortable history of trauma and broken trust | ||||||
| 2 | between our communities and law enforcement; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald's inalienable right to exist was | ||||||
| 4 | prematurely snatched from him before he could truly live in | ||||||
| 5 | its potential; protecting that right is of paramount | ||||||
| 6 | importance for every child in our state; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald's civil rights were blatantly and | ||||||
| 8 | inexplicably violated 16 times by Jason Van Dyke on October | ||||||
| 9 | 20, 2014; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The General Assembly has a vested interest in | ||||||
| 11 | promoting and supporting mechanisms towards healing the wounds | ||||||
| 12 | of this inhumane tragedy; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, United States Attorney General Merrick B. Garland | ||||||
| 14 | and the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights | ||||||
| 15 | Division consider and are committed to fostering bonds and | ||||||
| 16 | creating safer and fairer communities, demonstrating | ||||||
| 17 | dedication to equity in our federal judicial system, and | ||||||
| 18 | challenging the constructs that allow for systemic violations | ||||||
| 19 | of our civil and human rights; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, No statute of limitations exist for federal | ||||||
| 21 | offenses of civil rights violations that result in death; | ||||||
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| 1 | therefore, be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 3 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | we urge the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights | ||||||
| 5 | Division to investigate and charge Jason Van Dyke for his | ||||||
| 6 | multiple violations of the civil rights of Laquan McDonald.
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