Content warning: This email discusses police brutality and murder.
John,
My name is Kina Collins, I’m a Justice Democrat, and I’m running for Congress in Illinois' 7th Congressional District. I started out as an organizer fighting to stop gun violence, pass Medicare for all, and guarantee the civil rights of all Chicagoans. In 2014 I joined the fight for accountability in the police murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald — and last night, I was arrested protesting the early release of Laquan’s killer.
In 2014, a white police officer murdered Laquan McDonald. The officer, Jason Van Dyke, shot a 17-year-old Black child 16 times, then reloaded his gun. Then, former mayor Rahm Emanuel tried to cover up the murder. But finally, after more than 400 days, the police dashcam video was released and we could all see what really happened.
Van Dyke was convicted but sentenced to just 81 months; yesterday, he was released from prison early after serving less than half of his sentence. Think about that. Just three years for the vicious murder of a child.
It shouldn't require a viral consumption of Black suffering and outrage in order to shame and embarrass this justice system into accountability but time and again we see that it does. In the wake of Laquan McDonald’s killing, I joined Black Chicagoans who came out, marched, and demanded accountability — because justice, at that point, was impossible. Justice would be Laquan McDonald being alive today. And last night, years later, we once again came out and protested because Van Dyke serving less than half of his already sham sentence is not accountability.
That’s why I’m urgently calling on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to intervene and bring federal charges against Van Dyke to ensure that there is real accountability in this case.
And that’s why last night, I joined a coalition of groups and local leaders at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago to demand federal charges against Van Dyke. That’s where I was arrested, calling out for accountability.
We set out to bring as much attention as possible to Laquan’s story, because his name is not just a hashtag and this is not the final chapter. We support all forms of nonviolent civil disobedience. John Lewis and other civil rights leaders who came before us encouraged us to participate in good trouble, in necessary trouble. And I’m proud to say that is exactly what we did last night.
Our fight will continue until there’s accountability in this case AND serious changes to the justice system and police impunity in America.
And as leaders in Chicago continue to fail Black communities, it’s time for leaders on the federal level to step up. It’s time for Congress to address police brutality and ensure we have systems of accountability to prevent this from ever happening again. This is one of the reasons I’m running.
It’s time to end qualified immunity and stop investing federal funds in discriminatory police departments. It’s time to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the Breathe Act, the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, and the Mental Health Justice Act. It’s long past time for real leadership and real federal action.
John, getting arrested will not deter me from our fights for accountability and justice. We need to ensure our voices are heard in Chicago, Washington D.C. and all across the country.
In solidarity,
Kina Collins
Candidate for Illinois' 7th Congressional District
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