Outside of the Leighton Criminal Courts building Wednesday about a hundred protesters gathered as the jury selection process got underway in the murder trial of Jason Van Dyke--the Chicago police officer charged with the shooting and killing of Laquan McDonald in 2014.
“They like to tell us if you see a crime report it," one protester said. "What about when the criminals have badges."
Inside the courthouse about 200 prospective jurors filled out a questionnaire concerning the trial. The proceedings have received national and international attention, partly because the police-involved shooting was captured on police dash-cam video.
"We came out here so the jurors could hear us, came out here to make some noise," a protester said. "So they know we are out here in these streets for real."
Alan Tuerkheimer runs a jury consulting firm called Trial Methods.
Tuerkheimer says the questionnaires will help the prosecution and defense figure out if they want a potential juror to stay on this controversial case.
“It’s going to be a very cumbersome process,” Tuerkheimer said. “They have to delve pretty deeply into attitudes that each potential juror has about police, police shootings, race, how jurors are going to make decision in this case.”
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The chance still remains that the judge could approve a change of venue because the trial against Van Dyke has received so much media attention.
But Turkheimer does not think that will happen.
"I think the judge has plenty opportunity to transfer this, I don’t think the judge wants to," he said. "I think it’s going to stay here."
