Protestors Hold Peaceful Demonstration Regarding Police-Involved Killings of Unarmed African Americans across the Nation

Deborah Bayliss | As of Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Chicago Poet, Malcolm London, delivers a speech during Tuesdays peaceful demonstration in front of Chicago Police Headquarters.
Chicago Poet, Malcolm London, delivers a speech during Tuesdays peaceful demonstration in front of Chicago Police Headquarters. Photo by Deborah Bayliss.

Chanting, “No justice, no peace…no racist, police!” and other protest slogans, Chicago, based organizations took to the streets last Tuesday night in a show of solidarity with demonstrators from the city of Baltimore and others denouncing occurrences of police officers killing unarmed Black men and women in Chicago and across the nation.

Anthony Edwards, 57, of Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, said the most recent killing of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who died in Baltimore, Md., April 19, reportedly from injuries that included a severed spinal cord, while in police custody, is what made him come out and join the protest that started in front of Chicago Police Headquarters at 35th and Michigan and ended at 57th and Cottage Grove. Edwards is also a member of Action Now, a grassroots community organization of working families who fight for change.

“This is a combined effort to show solidarity to Baltimore as well the police shootings that happened here in Chicago,” Edwards said. “In the case of Rekia Boyd, (22, who was shot in the head by off-duty, Chicago Police Detective, Dante Servin in 2012 and found not guilty in April after Cook County Judge, Dennis Porter said prosecutors did not prove the involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and reckless discharge of a firearm, charges against him), it’s kind of hard to believe that a gunshot to the back of the head could be justified. It seems like our lives don’t matter to them. It seems the ‘serve and protect’ part has been left out.

Whitney Young High School student, Alfonso Kahlil, 18, who attended the protest march, told the Chicago Citizen newspaper that there’s frustration over all of the killings being reported nationwide.

Kristyn Zoe, 18, a student at Chicago High School for the Arts, who also attended the march, said hearing about the killings, “It’s painful.”

Unarmed African Americans who died after encounters with law enforcement include: Rekia Boyd, 22, Chicago--2012; Tamir Rice, 12, Cleveland, Ohio--2014; Akai Gurley, 28, Brooklyn, NY--2014; Kajieme Powell, 25, St. Louis, Mo., Aug. -- 2014; Michael Brown, 18, Ferguson, Mo., Aug.—2014; Eric Garner, 43, New York, N.Y.—July, 2014; Victor White, III, 22, Iberia Parish, La.— 2014; McKenzie Cochran, 25, Southfield, Mich., Jan.--2014; Kimani Gray, 16, New York, N.Y.—March 9; Kendrec McDade, 19, Pasadena, Calif.—-2012; Shereese Francis, 30, New York, N.Y.—March—2012 and Freddy Gray, 25, Baltimore, Md.—2015.

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