Black Lives Matter shows its clout – Prosecutors in the Tamir Rice and Laquan McDonald cases lose election primaries

In a major victory for the Black Lives Matter movement, the prosecutors behind two high-profile police shooting death investigations – Laquan McDonald in Illinois and Tamir Rice in Ohio – failed to retain their seats in landslide Democratic primaries early this week.

Both Chicago’s Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and Timothy McGinty, the Cuyahoga Prosecuting Attorney in Ohio, lost their bids for re-election.

Alvarez who lost to her opponent Kim Foxx, was seeking a third term as state’s attorney, waited more than 400 days to file charges against the Chicago police officer who fatally shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in November 2014, and then did so only after the city released incriminating video footage of the incident.

Foxx, who won by a huge margin Tuesday night, benefited from a highly organized and relentless opposition campaign against Alvarez staged primarily by young activists. Alvarez was cast by activists as an unprincipled police defender who prioritized her working relationship with the Chicago Police Department over truth and justice. Foxx undoubtedly got a significant lift from the efforts to unseat her opponent.

In Cleveland, McGinty recommended that a grand jury not charge the officers who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in a public park.

Both Alvarez and McGinty are the first public officials to have faced off directly against the Black Lives Matter movement and lost.

In the days before the primary, advocacy groups Black Lives Matters and Assata’s Daughters staked out Alvarez campaign events with signs stating “Bye Anita” and “Anita is Guilty.” A statement from Assata’s Daughters took credit for booting Alvarez from office.

In the Rice case, McGinty encouraged a grand jury not to charge the two officers who opened fire on Rice after less than two seconds on the scene. After they obliged, McGinty said evidence showed it was indisputable that Rice was reaching to pull out his pellet gun when he was shot, despite differing expert testimony. This was seen as a knee-jerk response to protect police, and Black Lives Matter Cleveland showed up with members of Rice’s family to picket McGinty’s home during the campaign.

The Black Lives Matter movement had initially been criticized for its lack of focus, aversion to a hierarchical structure, and inability to translate rage from street protests into tangible political goals – however, the results of these primaries have sent a clear message – the movement and other advocacy groups are quickly evolving to become a formidable political force.