US: Continue protests demanding justice

(Baonghean.vn) - On Saturday, December 13, tens of thousands of Americans from New York and many other major cities gathered in Washington, DC to protest the use of police violence and demand justice for black people killed by police while they were unarmed.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Washington. Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb

The protest, called “Justice for All,” was organized at the initiative of Pastor Al Sharpton and brought together family members of Eric Garner and Akai Gurley (black men shot dead by New York police), Tamir Rice (a 12-year-old black boy shot dead by police because he mistook the toy gun in Rice’s hand for a real gun), Trayvon Martin (shot in 2012 in Florida) and Michael Brown (who was shot by a police officer in Ferguson).

Emmanuel Gonzales, a reporter for LeMonde newspaper in Washington, who also joined the protesters, said, “I am from Stanen Island (New York), my friends and I came here to do something together, we cannot let this situation continue.” The protesters believe that “there must be action against institutionalized racism in America. There must be continued action. The use of police violence is not a recent phenomenon, it has been going on for a long time. There must be a solution through dialogue between communities, between institutions, and it is time for the federal government to come up with an answer for everything.”

Protesters marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, the street between the White House and the Capitol. Organizers said many came from Florida, Connecticut and even Pittsburgh. In New York, the Millions March drew at least 25,000 people. Protests were peaceful everywhere. On Friday, several siren-wielding demonstrators marched in front of the New York Police Department to protest police brutality.

Chu Thanh -according to LeMonde December 13