CHICAGO-Following is the statement of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Vice President Greg Kelley following the breaking news that Mayor Rahm Emanuel today fired Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

“The firing of Superintendent Garry McCarthy is not nearly enough to restore the trust that has been broken with the people of Chicago as a direct result of the actions of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and the Chicago Police Department.

“Even as he announced his firing and announced politically expedient task forces, today you heard  Mayor Emanuel  heap praise on McCarthy. This is despite vast systemic problems that have been so hideously embodied in the murder of Laquan McDonald. Why did it take so long for today’s outcome, when the use of excessive force and inequitable policing strategies have long been known?

“The answer is that Mayor Emanuel and Anita Alvarez have enabled and supported a system that has robbed Chicago of true justice.  For too long, this mayor and the people who serve him have been more interested in finding political cover than hearing the cries of citizens, particularly people of color.

“Today’s news is the direct result of communities fighting back and doing whatever it takes to reclaim their city. But it does not change the fundamental reality: True justice requires that Alvarez and Mayor Emanuel resign.”