New Poll Shows Majority of Chicagoans Want Rahm Gone

Rahm Emanuel said 'no' in response to question of whether he will resign amid backlash against Chicago police and government for handling of Laquan McDonald case. (Photo: Anthony Souffle/Zuma Press/Corbis)

New Poll Shows Majority of Chicagoans Want Rahm Gone

Amid mounting scandals and widespread condemnation over Emanuel's handling of recent incidents of police brutality, calls for his ouster have grown

Fifty-one percent of Chicago voters want to see Mayor Rahm Emanuel resign from his post, a new survey has found.

Amid mounting scandals and widespread condemnation over Emanuel's handling of recent incidents of police brutality--including allegations of a cover-up--the call for resignation has grown.

The survey, commissioned by local newsletter The Insider and published on Tuesday, found that a scant 18 percent of respondents approve of how the mayor is handling his job while a full 67 percent disapprove.

The one-day poll, conducted on Saturday by the Chicago firm Ogden & Fry, surveyed the climate in Chicago as the city was still reeling from the scandal surrounding the October 2014 police shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald and the alleged attempt to bury footage of the incident.

Two days after the survey was conducted, further protests erupted after it was announced there would be no charges filed against the Chicago police officer who fatally shot Ronald Johnson III last year, in a separate incident.

Roughly 14,000 people have also signed a petition calling for both Emanuel and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign, stating they've "lost the public's trust" over their alleged roles in the McDonald cover-up.

Calls calling for his resignation are also circulating on social media under the hashtag #ResignRahm and critics are holding a rally Wednesday at noon in Daley Plaza.

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