Demonstrators End 16-Hour Sit-In for Alvarez's Resignation

Alvarez has been under mounting pressure following the video’s release, which shows Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke shooting the 17-year-old a total of 16 times as he walked away from police

A small group of protesters staged a 16-hour sit-in until the early hours of Friday morning to call for Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s resignation.

About five people camped out until 3 a.m. at the George W. Dunne Cook County office building downtown in hopes of forcing Alvarez to step over her handling of the investigation into the Laquan McDonald shooting.

Alvarez has been under mounting pressure following the video’s release, which shows Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke shooting the 17-year-old a total of 16 times as he walked away from police.

Demonstrators believe the first-degree murder charges against Van Dyke came too late, 13 months after his death, and only after a judge intervened ordering the video's release.

Ahead of Thursday night’s sit-in a group of local faith leaders and community members were at the county building delivering a formal petition calling for Alvarez’s resignation. The petition had collected more than 32,000 signatures.

That same day Alvarez responded to the mounting criticism, saying there was “no way” she would ever “even consider” resigning.

"I am going to continue to be Cook County State's Attorney,” she said.

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