Activists issue call to action for Laquan McDonald shooting

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A call for action came just days before the two year anniversary of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald's fatal shooting at the hands of a Chicago police officer.

It wasn't until last November that police video of the shooting was released sparking a series of mass protests around the city.

The activists called for a renewed series of protests, including one on Black Friday which, just like last year, they hope will paralyze shopping along Michigan Avenue. They also hope it will highlight the need for increased police accountability, which they said is still lacking when it comes to accusations of police brutality.

The activists acknowledged the efforts and reforms which have taken place so far in the police department, but said there's still a lot of work to be done making reference to a recent incident in which they say a 23-year-old black man was beaten without justification by a white police officer. They attribute the incident to systemic racism in the system.

"We ask for body cams, we ask for tasers, we ask for all these different things that gives them options to work in a better way. But instead he jumps out of his vehicle and punches him and uses force that he shouldn't have. So we're here today to say there's a lot of work to be done," Jamal Green, an activist, said.

That case being referenced is still being worked out in the courts, as the attorney for the alleged victim attempts to obtain body cam as well as surveillance footage of the incident. He expects to go public in the next few weeks.