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Small Group Of Activists Protest At Mayor Rahm Emanuel's House

Continuing calls for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's resignation after another fatal shooting involving police this past weekend, a group of about two dozen people brought the protest to the mayor's front yard Tuesday evening.

As The Two-Way reported, Chicago police fatally shot 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and his 55-year-old neighbor, Betty R. Jones, when responding to a domestic disturbance call early Saturday. Both victims were black.

The protesters have been calling for Emanuel's resignation since late November, when the city released a video from 2014 that showed a police officer shooting a 17-year-old black man, Laquan McDonald, 16 times, including several shots fired after he had collapsed on the ground. The group of activists was waiting for the mayor to return from his vacation in Cuba, which he cut short to address this weekend's shooting.

The Chicago Tribune reports that activists chanted, "Who gotta go? Rahm gotta go!" outside his three-story house as four uniformed police officers stood guard.

" 'Today, we're asking you, right in front your house, for Rahm Emanuel to step down,' said activist Ja'Mal Green, who until recently participated in the mayor's anti-violence campaigns. 'A real leader knows when to step down and when you can allow someone else to lead.' "

The house was still dark around 4 p.m. when the protesters arrived, but Emanuel reportedly returned at some point. A Tribune reporter on the scene identified a man in the house as Emanuel.

The activists continued to chant. They also reportedly placed several pizza delivery orders.

According to ABC7 News in Chicago, activists say they will continue to protest at Emanuel's house and other locations until he resigns.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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