A growing stream of protesters took to the streets of downtown Chicago early Wednesday, blocking a main intersection near City Hall, and feverishly calling for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

According to Yahoo, the demonstration follows days of growing unrest in the city, stemming from the recent public release of an October 2014 video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke gunning down black teenager Laquan McDonald on a city street.

In all, Van Dyke, who was formally charged with murder a few weeks ago, fired 16 shots at McDonald, whom the video clearly shows did not pose a direct threat to the officer at the time of the gunfire.

For more than a year, city officials, including Emanuel and State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, fought to keep the tape from being publicly released, allowing Van Dyke to remain on the job and active duty.

On Wednesday, protesters largely remained peaceful, as they streamed along famed Michigan Avenue, during the heart of the Christmas holiday shopping season. Marchers also convened and demonstrated in that area on Black Friday.

Only hours earlier on Wednesday, Emanuel had taken to the City Council floor, where he admitted there is a "trust problem" between police and citizens from certain communities and declared, "No citizen is a second-class citizen in the city of Chicago."

In addition to calling for improved community policing, Emanuel insisted the city must find a way to confront "underlying challenges of family, of poverty, of joblessness, or hopelessness."

With the U.S. Department of Justice having recently announced it plans to launch a civil rights probe that will put the practices and policies of the entire Chicago police department under the microscope, Emanuel conceded that the unit needs "complete and total reform."

Meanwhile, Van Dyke has since been released on $1.5 million bond. He is the first Chicago police officer to be charged with first-degree murder stemming from an on-duty fatality in nearly 35 years.

After initially voicing support for him, last week Emanuel announced the removal of Garry McCarthy as police chief.