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Activists gathered at Chicago City Hall, just outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office, on April 20 for a rally to demand both the firing of Chicago police officer Dante Servin without benefits as well as the allocation of funds for Chicago State University (CSU).
The protest was organized by a coalition that included members of Black Youth Project 100, Assata's Daughters, Black Lives Matter: Chicago and Fearless Leading by the Youth. Many involved were instrumental in organizing against Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez following the release of the video of the Laquan McDonald shooting.
Protesters held a banner, "Remember Rekia," marked with the hashtags "#DontPayDante" and "#SaveCSU." Page May, an organizer with Assata's Daughters, said the activists were moving into a moment of "rapid response" in order to see Servin's job and pension rescinded and CSU's funding restored.
Servin was acquitted on a technicality in April 2015 for the March 21, 2012, killing of Rekia Boyd, an unarmed Black woman. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but, in a directed verdict, the judge said that no recklessness was proven in the state's attorney's...