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Posts tagged as “#DayOfResistance”

Thousands March on Washington to Protest Police Killings

Demonstrators march on Pennsylvania Avenue toward Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, during the Justice for All march. More than 10,000 protesters are converging on Washington in an effort to bring attention to the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police. Civil rights organizations are holding a march to the Capitol on Saturday with the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two unarmed black men who died in incidents with white police officers. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators march on Pennsylvania Avenue toward Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, during the Justice for All march. More than 10,000 protesters are converging on Washington in an effort to bring attention to the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police. Civil rights organizations are holding a march to the Capitol on Saturday with the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two unarmed black men who died in incidents with white police officers. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 10,000 protesters converged on the U.S. capital Saturday to help bring attention to the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police and call for legislative action.

Led by several civil rights organizations, the crowd will march to the Capitol on Saturday afternoon with the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two unarmed black men who died in incidents with white police officers. The Rev. Al Sharpton, a prominent civil rights advocate, also will be part of the march. The groups and marchers — with signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Who do you protect? Who do you serve” — are calling for law enforcement reforms after several high-profile cases of what they call police brutality.
At Freedom Plaza, the rally was interrupted briefly by a group of protesters who took the stage with a bullhorn. They announced that they were from Ferguson, Missouri — where Brown died — and demanded to speak.
Rally organizers called the interruption unnecessarily divisive. Speakers were delayed about five minutes as supporters of the interruption chanted, “Let them speak.”
Protests — some violent — have occurred around the U.S. since grand juries last month declined to indict the officers involved in the deaths of 18-year-old Brown and Garner, 43, who gasped “I can’t breathe” while being arrested for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes in New York. Some protesters held signs and wore shirts that said “I can’t breathe” Saturday.
Politicians and others have talked about the need for better police training, body cameras and changes in the grand jury process to restore faith in the legal system.

Eric Garner's Daughter Stages "Die-In" at Same Spot Where Her Father Died

erica garner
Erica Garner organized and led a protest in Staten Island on Thursday in memory of her father Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man who died in July after he was placed in a prohibited chokehold by a white police officer.
Erica, 24, was joined by a group of protesters who marched through the city and collectively staged a die-in at the site where her father was slain.
Upon their arrival, Garner lay on the ground in the exact spot where he father died. It was a moment that was captured in these powerful photos:
Garner’s family has spoken out since a grand jury declined to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, who said he “felt very bad” about Garner’s death and sent his condolences. 
However, Garner’s widow, Esaw, rejected his offer in statements she made shortly after Pantaleo issued his statement.  “Hell no! The time for remorse would have been when my husband was yelling to breathe,” Esaw said during a live press conference at the headquarters of the National Action Network on Dec. 3.
“No, I don’t accept his apology. No, I could care less about his condolences,” she continued. “He’s still working. He’s still getting a paycheck. He’s still feeding his kids, when my husband is six feet under and I’m looking for a way to feed my kids now.”
Protests have occurred in major cities nationwide since the grand jury’s indictment eight days ago and more are planned for the coming days.  Garner’s family, along with families of other victims of police killings, will join Rev. Al Sharpton in leading a march in Washington on Saturday to speak out against racial profiling and police brutality.
“Do not be silent. Do not be complacent. Do not continue to live with police misconduct and violence as somehow acceptable,” Sharpton wrote on The Huffington Post. 
“Those who came before us sacrificed so that we may have a more just future. Now we must do the same for the generations that will come after us.”
article by Lilly Workneh via huffingtonpost.com