The [Tuesday] Papers

Wednesday Programming Note: I'm gathering material for a post (or more likely, posts, plural) on Laquan McDonald, one or more of which may come today or later in the long holiday weekend. I'll have a bunch of other material too between now and Monday, but not necessarily on a traditional schedule. So check back or follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook to stay in-the-know. (Twitter is where the action really is; I've been commenting there on the McDonald case pretty heavily since Tuesday.)

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The [Tuesday] Papers
"Mayor Rahm Emanuel called together a number of community leaders Monday to appeal for help in keeping the city calm [upon the release of the Laquan McDonald video]," AP reports.

"Some attendees of the community meeting said afterward that city officials waited too long after McDonald was shot to get them involved.

"You had this tape for a year and you are only talking to us now because you need our help keeping things calm," one of the ministers, Corey Brooks, said after the meeting.

Right. He only calls at election time and when he thinks the city is on the verge of blowing up. It's like a mayoral booty call.

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Even worse, you make the call but then lie to your friends about it:

Earlier Monday, Emanuel's office characterized the discussion as something "we regularly do on important topics." But Acree and another minister, Marshall Hatch, said it is a rare occurrence.

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Or you brag to your friends about something that never happened:

Rahm Emanuel has finished his address to CPD grads. He did not wade into police misconduct, spoke broadly about building trust w/ community.

— Bill Ruthhart (@BillRuthhart) November 24, 2015

"They had the opportunity to be a good example and a model across the country on how to improve police and community relations and they missed it," Acree said.

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Rahm's message control and manipulation of the criminal justice system certainly seems to be working, though: When I first flagged that AP story on Monday night, this was its headline and content:

Ministers describe tense meeting with Chicago mayor over police shooting of teen, release of dashcam video: https://t.co/lDyXVIqkbz

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 24, 2015

You can see it in the URL, too: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0effe93415494f2781cfb7b739df5b4f/emanuel-meeting-ministers-discuss-police-shooting-video/

On Tuesday morning, at that same URL, it's this: "Source: Chicago Cop Expected To Be Charged In Teen's Death."

The information about the meeting with ministers is now pushed eight paragraphs down, behind the decision of prosecutors to charge the officer in the McDonald case and police chief Garry McCarthy's announcement at 10 p.m. last night that he had just finished his review of the Rekia Boyd case and had decided to ask the police board to fire officer Dante Servin. What timing! Just another set of Chicago Coincidences.

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The Tribune reports that Emanuel "held a conference call with ministers and other community leaders Monday to condemn what he called the 'hideous' actions of a white Chicago police officer captured on video fatally shooting an African-American teen and to defend his administration's handling of the controversy."

The AP report has "attendees" at a meeting that seems to have taken place in person. Two different events?

The Sun-Times provides the answer amidst fuller context:

"Emanuel spoke before holding a series of conference calls and meetings on Monday afternoon with black community stakeholders - from small groups of ministers, young activists, and business leaders, to members of the City Council's Black Caucus."

I'd provide the link and peruse the rest of the Sun-Times' reporting, but it froze my browser, as it is wont to do, and I lost this column and had to start all over again. Thanks for making my morning, Sun-Times! Please die already. Your best reporters will find a home.

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I just saw that the Trib did report this later in their article:

"In addition to his conference call, Emanuel was scheduled to meet with a smaller group of ministers and community leaders and attend a second meeting with the City Council's Black Caucus."

So I didn't need the Sun-Times after all. Sorry for the intrusion.

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Back to the Trib:

"Emanuel told the participants that his call was to ensure that 'everybody has similar information and also that we all, in my view, play a role as stake-holders in our city and in our respective communities throughout our city.'"

Oh, now we all play a role.

"He asked them to help ensure that any protests remain peaceful when the video is released. But Emanuel did not take questions, and there was no attempt to engage in a dialogue during the six-minute call."

But Emanuel did not take questions, and there was no attempt to engage in a dialogue during the six-minute call.

So in defending his administration's handling of the incident he's committing the very same mishandling of the incident that he's defending. And in saying all stakeholders have a part, he's saying everyone else's part is to listen to him and then go do what he says.

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"Neither Emanuel nor his office have said exactly when the video might be released, and the mayor did not give any indication during his private call with community leaders."

It's like, hey, maybe I'll see you around.

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This caught my eye:

"Any descriptions I've read of this incident, to any person, regardless if you're the mayor or just an individual, it would shock you, because it's basically not only a person taking the law into their own hands, but they don't have a measure and are not using the judgment that is expected," Emanuel said on the call, which the Tribune gained access to through one of the participants.

So someone gave the Tribune the number to dial into so they could listen. Right? Thank you, whoever did that.

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Help A Walmart Worker This Thanksgiving
Here's how you can take action to support worker justice this week.

Surf The White Winter Wave!
Twig-Tac-Toe, bonfires and animal tracking.

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BeachBook

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TweetWood
A sampling.

To the notion that the #LaquanMcDonald video will "tear the city apart" - why, is there a side that will support his death?

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) November 24, 2015

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This is offensive & ridiculous. My record has consistently shown I have no idea how to control a narrative. https://t.co/7cHFQJC5kx

— Not Anita Alvarez (@NotAnitaAlvarez) November 24, 2015

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@BeachwoodReport what's next announcement? Alderman Burke to be indicted for snow plow abuse?

— John Jacoby (@JPJAC) November 24, 2015

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@ward32chicago @BeachwoodReport the next press release will announce the reopening of the 50 closed schools

— Stacy (@stacydavisgates) November 24, 2015

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@BeachwoodReport it'll probably be reversed years later on appeal to the Police Board, too ... but it serves its purpose for now.

— Geoff Dankert (@GeoffNews) November 24, 2015

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On the eve of the #LaquanMcDonald video release, Mayor Emanuel vows to participate in a series of meaningful photo-ops with black leaders.

— Matt Farmer (@mifarmer) November 24, 2015

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