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鈥楤lack Christmas鈥 protest erupted in downtown Chicago

Nearly 100 people marched on Christmas Eve along a bustling shopping district in downtown Chicago in a protest dubbed "Black Christmas" against police shooting of a black teenager.

Holding banners "Stop Police Terror," "Rahm must go," "Dismantle systematic racism," the protesters blocked the doors of several retailers in Magnificent Mile, shouting "16 shots and cover-up," "no justice, no profit," and preventing some last-minute shoppers from entering the stores. Several protesters laid down at an intersection, forcing the oncoming traffic to divert route.

Robson, who was among the protesters blocking shoppers from entering H&M, told Xinhua that (Chicago) mayor Rahm Emanuel should receive the message that police murders should not be allowed.

It is common for the police to shoot people here in the U.S., especially African American men, said the protester.

One shopper was extremely angry and shouted at the protesters blocking him from entering the store. Robson expressed his understanding that the protesters just wanted to draw attention though "a lot of people are not going to like it." In order to join the protest, he said he changed the date for Christmas family reunion.

When the police forced protesters to stay away from the stores, some protesters argued with the police officers, who were either expressionless or just turned the face the other way.

An old-aged protester came in front of the police line circling the protesters, saying "You guys gotta be good cops, or you won't be cops in Chicago."

Seventeen-year-old black teenager Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times to death by Chicago police in October 2014, but the video of his shooting was not released until November 2015. Protests have kept erupting since then.

More than 1,000 protesters blocked the retail stores in Magnificent Mile on Nov. 27, the traditional Black Friday shopping day, to protest the fatal shooting of McDonald by the police.


 

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