Thousands protest police slayings of black men December 14, 2014 By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press WASHINGTON - Family members of young, unarmed black men killed by police - from Michael Brown and Eric Garner in recent months, to Amadou Diallo more than 15 years ago - packed a stage in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, using a shared forum to urge thousands of supportive marchers to keep up the pressure for changes to the criminal justice system. The march in Washington coincided with demonstrations across the country, from iconic Fifth Avenue in New York to the streets of San Francisco and the steps of the Boston Statehouse - mostly peaceful protests although about two dozen people were arrested in the Massachusetts capital for disorderly conduct. My husband was a quiet man, but hes making a lot of noise right now, said Washington protest marcher Esaw Garner, widow of Eric Garner, 43, who died in July after being put in a chokehold by New York City police during an arrest for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. His voice will be heard. I have five children in this world and we are fighting not just for him but for everybodys future, for everybodys past, for everybodys present, and we need to make it strong. Nationally, marchers chanted I cant breathe! Hands up, dont shoot! and waved signs reading Black lives matter! Demonstrators also staged die-ins as they lay down across intersections and in one city briefly scuffled with police blocking an onramp to a highway. Organizers had predicted 5,000 people at the Washington march, but the crowd appeared to far outnumber that. They later said they believed as many as 25,000 had shown up. It was not possible to verify the numbers; Washington police do not release crowd estimates. Read much more of this story in todays Sun-Gazette.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 15:14:55 +0000
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