Crowds disrupted Friday afternoon traffic in downtown Waukegan while protesting the decision not to charge the Zion police officer who fatally shot Justus Howell, but the demonstration around the Lake County Building and Courthouse never produced the overwhelming crowd officials anticipated.
“This is inhumane. This is brutality in its worst, worst form,” LaToya Howell, Justus’ mom, said outside of the courthouse as a crowd gathered around 3 p.m. “Everybody who’s seen that video saw the thing I saw. I saw them gun my son down with his back turned. He was not a threat.
“That was a crime that was committed. They murdered my son.”
Then, LaToya Howell led about 40 protesters east from the County Building to block traffic on Sheridan Road.
Some members in the crowd blew whistles that echoed off downtown buildings. Others shouted chants that included “no justice, no peace — no racist police” and “justice for Justus Howell.”
As the group sat and stood on Sheridan, Waukegan police squad cars redirected traffic. Mayor Wayne Motley approached at one point and asked protest co-organizer Clyde McLemore if they could move off the street, saying “if someone gets hurt, we’re going to assume the liability, and I’m not prepared to do that.”
Motley then began to speak with media members about the case and was quickly surrounded by the crowd. As voices were raised, Motley worked his way from the circle and walked back toward the County Building.
The crowd spent the next hour walking in the middle of streets around the downtown area, blocking intersections for around five minutes at a time that included Sheridan and Grand Avenue, Grand and Genesee Street, Genesee and Washington Street, and County and Clayton streets.
At Sheridan and Grand, Howell held up a megaphone and yelled, “It was bloody murder! I’m screaming bloody murder!”
When the crowd reached County and Clayton, a Pace bus was held up for several minutes. Officers tried to intervene but were unsuccessful in asking the protesters to move. The bus ultimately reversed and backed away from the scene.
“I don’t mind them protesting. I just don’t want them putting themselves in harms way,” Motley said. “They can stay out here all night if they want to as long as the protest is peaceful.”
Chicago resident Gregory Koger, who drove up to Waukegan to participate, previously demonstrated in Ferguson, Mo., after the police-involved fatal shooting of Michael Brown. Some members of the crowd carried signs referencing Ferguson while others called attention to the case of Darrin Hanna, who died in a struggle with North Chicago police in 2011.
“It’s not like I’m against police,” McLemore said prior to the march. “It’s just about police killing Afro-American (people).”
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Justus Howell died on April 4 after being shot twice in the back by the Zion officer while running near Galilee Avenue and 24th Street carrying what authorities have said was a handgun he stole from another man near the scene.
Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim announced Thursday that the shooting was found to be justified following an investigation by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force that was monitored by the FBI.
Nerheim said that the evidence in the case included eyewitness statements and video from a surveillance camera that showed the shooting and the end of a foot pursuit leading up to it. According to Nerheim, the investigation determined that Howell, still carrying the gun, was turning toward the officer just before the shots were fired.
With a large demonstration anticipated Friday, Lake County authorities announced an early 1 p.m. closing of county offices in Waukegan.
At least three couples trying to get married at the Lake County Courthouse were turned away because of the precautionary measure. Karla Hernandez and Waldo Medina, both 19, were among those being turned away and forced to seek arrangements at branch courts in the county.
County Administrator Barry Burton said the decision to close the complex that includes the main courthouse was made to ensure there is no conflict between demonstrators and the general public and county employees.
“We want to make sure we err on the side of caution, and that our facility is safe,” Burton said.
Sheriff Mark Curran said court deputies as well as additional sheriff’s officers would be on hand if needed. Waukegan police will also be patrolling their jurisdiction, he said.
“We just want to preserve the peace,” Curran said. “They have their First Amendment rights and we’re respectful of that. But at the same time, it’s not a license for criminal activity.”
Members of the public that had scheduled court or other interactions with closed county offices should contact the department directly by visiting http://www.lakecountyil.gov. The closure included the 19th Circuit Court and all county offices in the Waukegan complex.
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