Crysta Medrano and Sabrina Henderson
News Editor and Web Editor
10/16/18
On Oct. 20, 2014, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was fatally shot 16 times by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke.
For four years, the nation wait anxiously on Van Dyke’s verdict. On Oct. 5, 2018 the verdict was decided: Officer Van Dyke was charged with second degree murder and would face a minimum of 6-30 years in prison.
On Sept. 28, 2018 Chief Diversity Officer Sheila Radford Hill sent out an institutional statement informing
Dominican of the actions and events they were hosting to allow the community to come together and process their emotions. These events included an open prayer, a panel discussion, racial hearing circles, and informational handouts. It was then that Dominican realized the importance of this case to their student body. This case hit close to home to the Dominican Community; many students, in particular black students, saw the reality of this case as relatable to their daily lives. The case is a clear example of the need to reform the criminal justice system which may grant those with institutional privilege a means to take advantage of a flawed system.
Dominican senior and Black Student Union member Mylisha Harvey’s thoughts resonated amongst the Dominican Community.“I was nervous, I felt that I knew he was not going to be guilty. I thought
he was going to walk away. I was just hopeful that if he didn’t get charged,
his family [LaQuans] gets justice.”
hendsabr@my.dom.edu
medrcrys@my.dom.edu
