Following several months of nationwide protests from New York City to San Francisco, Reverend Al Sharpton, Spencer Pritchard and several other activists arranged a massive protest on Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill to garner the attention of members of Congress.
District of Columbia police do not release crowd estimates when group protests are conducted. However, while protest organizers expected a gathering of approximately 5,000 people, it was clear that the turn out on Saturday, December 13, 2014, exceeded that number by at least five times.
That morning, demonstrators from all over the country bundled up against the cold, and marched along Pennsylvania Avenue, down to the Capitol, holding signs and wearing shirts expressing sadness and outrage against nationwide police brutality. Even the Washington, D.C. Chief of Police, Cathy Lanier joined protestors and told the Washington Post, “This is one of the most well-organized events I’ve seen.”
The “Justice for All” protest was completely non-violent and no arrests were made. Organizers directed scheduled chants of “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “I Can’t Breathe.” Hand-held signs read, “R.I.P.,” “Black Lives Matter,” “Stop Racist Police Terror,” and “End the New Jim Crow.” In addition to marchers, the families of Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Amadou Diallo and Michael Brown were in attendance.
Mrs. Esaw Garner, Eric Garner’s widow, stated “My husband was a quiet man, but he’s making a lot of noise right now…His voice will be heard. I have five children in this world and we are fighting not just for him but for everybody’s future, for everybody’s past, for everybody’s present, and we need to make it strong.”
Kadiatou Diallo who lost her son, Amadou Diallo, 15 years ago spoke about the issue of denouncing police violence, “We’ve been there so many times…Today we are standing still and demanding the same thing.”
Many protestors lamented people they knew personally who died at the hands of police who were never charged while others gained a sense of hope from their participation.
Doprah No Filtah is a resident of Washington, D.C. Underground hip hop is her only escape from the constant influx of political meanderings. Follow her on Twitter @SNSNightlifeMag.
D.C’s New Mayor, Muriel Bowser, Hits the Ground Running on Capitol Hill
The White House Is Investigating Malia’s Leaked “Pro Era” Selfie
House GOP Leader Admits To Being Keynote Speaker At White Supremacist Conference
We Can Improve Police And Community Relations By Ending Black On Black Crime (Part 4 of 5)
