Crowds Protest Police Brutality in March Through Boston
#MassAction Against Police Brutality. Unity March. July 13, 2016. #Boston #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/0dTLO36SO5
— Shalini Pammal (@ShaliniPammal) July 14, 2016
In a peaceful march on Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 people gathered to protest police brutality in Boston.
Organized by Mass Action Against Police Brutality, the march began at Boston police headquarters along Tremont Street, and wound through the streets of the South End to Roxbury, where Mass Action is headquartered.
Protesters set off just before 7 p.m., calling for an end to police shootings and brutality stemming from racial bias. They spoke out against the recent police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota that killed Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, and against previous deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement.
The July 13 protest purposefully coincided with the one-year anniversary of Sandra Bland’s death. Days after being arrested during a traffic stop in Texas, Bland was discovered dead in her jail cell.
Great showing at the #MassAction march against police brutality tonight. Proud of #boston, but it can’t stop here pic.twitter.com/REYwjuY3YY
— Eli Hoffman (@babyswiss911) July 14, 2016
“I am bothered by the senseless killings,” Mass Action Against Police Brutality organizer Tahia Sykes told the Boston Globe. “But I am [also] bothered by the complacency.”
Sykes referenced Boston police shootings in an interview with Boston.com, such as the death of 26-year-old Usaama Rahim, who was killed by police in Roslindale after allegedly approaching them with a knife.
“It’s not just nationally, it’s in Boston, too,” Sykes told Boston.com.
Protesters carried signs that listed names of African-Americans who have died in police shootings. Other signs displayed messages like “Stop Killing Black People” and “How Many More?”
The peaceful march comes days after five police officers were killed in a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas. While Boston police officers trailed behind the protest, the Boston Globe reports there were no apparent interactions between marchers and police.
At around 10:30 p.m., the protest ended in song.
Unity March. #MassAction #BlackLivesMatter #Boston pic.twitter.com/qJCeVRxrO7
— Shalini Pammal (@ShaliniPammal) July 14, 2016
