Justice must be handled quickly and transparently, which has not happened in Chicago. The indictment of a police officer who shot a black youth 16 times has taken more than a year, and city officials have tried to carry out their own investigations before any public trial, while also concealing a video of the shocking incident.
It may be that police officer Jason Van Dyke can argue that 17-year-old Laquan McDonald drew a knife when asked to stop by the police, but that argument has to be made to the courts in public. It may be that Van Dyke can justify shooting McDonald 16 times as he lay on the ground, but the public have a right to criticise what seems like yet another example of excessive use of force by a police force that is notorious for its excesses.
The US cannot afford to have continual cases of policemen using gross force, and far too often it is white officers harming black youths. If the cities cannot get their houses in order, the federal government must crack down on the violent police culture across the US.
