Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was visiting Urban Prep Charter Academy in Englewood. He wasn’t given the warmest of welcomes and students showed protest leading to him making a sharp exit.

Many of the well dressed students seemed uninterested and continued openly talking as the mayor was brought on and announcing a cabinet for the local My Brother’s Keeper campaign, a program that aims to mentor and inspire young men of color.

Near the end of the event things got interesting!

Students were asked to stand and to recite the Urban Prep creed. This is when the chants of “16 shots” started to ring from many students.

This slogan refers to the amount of times 17 year old Laquan McDonald was shot by police.

The mayor left very sharply after he finished his address and students continued chanting as they were dismissed.

On wednesday morning the mayor’s office released a statement saying:

“The Mayor recognizes that Chicagoans are understandably frustrated. He has called for systemic reform to bring safety to every community and rebuild trust where it has been lost. As part of that process he will continue to engage with residents, police, and community leaders to address their specific concerns.”

Personally it gives me hope that young people are standing up to elected officials in the light of such incidents. I support the action of these students.

Do you?