Downtown building owners were stepping up security in the event of possible unrest following a verdict in the murder trial of Jason Van Dyke, the white police officer who fatally shot Laquan McDonald, a black teenager.
The Building Owners and Managers Association issued an emergency preparedness alert during the trial, advising about the short turnaround between the time a jury has reached its decision and an announced verdict, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The Magnificent Mile Association also sent an email out to its roughly 700 members Wednesday, relaying a security preparedness bulletin from the police department that urged building owners to make sure doors are locked and to secure items that can cause damage, like patio chairs, tables and trash containers.
The Chicago Loop Alliance sent an advisory to its email distribution list Thursday afternoon “in anticipation of any possible civil unrest” resulting from the Van Dyke verdict.
Management at Vornado Realty Trust’s Merchandise Mart sent out a message to tenants warning of the possibility of protests.
“Unfortunately, it is reasonable to expect that the final verdict may prompt additional protest activity,” it read, according to the Tribune. [Chicago Tribune] — John O’Brien