Black Lives Matter movement sees series of victories in midwest elections

The protest movement that formed in response to deadly shootings of African Americans saw oustings of prosecutors in Chicago and Cleveland on Wednesday

The protest movement that formed in response to deadly shootings of African Americans by police won a remarkable series of political victories in the American midwest on Wednesday night, including its first oustings of prosecutors in major cities.

In successive upsets, Democratic primary challengers in Chicago, Illinois, and Cleveland, Ohio, wrested the party’s nomination from sitting prosecutors who came under sharp criticism for their handling of the fatal shootings of Laquan McDonald and Tamir Rice.

The electoral wins were declared just hours after the town of Ferguson, Missouri – where nights of unrest followed the killing of a black 18-year-old by a white officer in August 2014 – buckled under pressure to accept federal oversight of its criminal justice system.
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With 96% of votes counted in Cook County, Illinois, challenger Kim Foxx was trouncing the two-term state’s attorney, Anita Alvarez, by almost 30 percentage points. “The stakes in this race were very high,” Foxx, an African American former prosecutor, told a victory rally. “This race is not so much about saying goodbye. It’s about turning the page.”