October 8, 2018
To: Members of the Campus Community
From: Deborah Gorman-Smith, Interim Dean, School of Social Service Administration
Subject: Campus Conversation on the Laquan McDonald Shooting and Jason Van Dyke Trial Verdict
Date: October 8, 2018
By now you are aware of Friday’s news that Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke was found by a jury to be guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm in the 2014 fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald.
As I noted in a message last week, this trial has generated significant questions and concerns here on campus, across our city, and beyond. As a follow-up to the “campus conversation” we held this past Wednesday, the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, in collaboration with University leadership, is hosting a post-trial panel conversation and discussion session tomorrow evening (Tuesday, October 9) from 6:30-8:30 pm in the SSA Lobby. The purpose of this follow-up event, which we will again livestream, is to provide the University community and our neighbors with an opportunity to explore the significance of this verdict and discuss how we, as a community, move forward together.
Please see further details here.