Approximately 400 people gathered outside the Chicago Police Department Thursday night in a Black Lives Matter march and demonstration around Fuller Park, honoring Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and condemning police brutality.
Protesters heading to a @Chicago_Police station on the Southside. #PhilandoCastile #AltonSterling #ChiCallToAction pic.twitter.com/kxR7FGvShj
— Justin Madden (@IAmJustinMadden) July 8, 2016
Both men were African-American—something they had in common with growing list of men and women shot and killed by police in cities across the nation, including Laquan McDonald, Ronnie Johnson, and Rekia Boyd, all fatally shot by Chicago police.
Peggy Hudgens, 55, says she’s been involved in black activism for 30 years. Affiliated with Black Men United, Hudgens expressed her hatred for the system. Though she was not previously acquainted with the march’s organizers, she said she exchanged phone numbers with them.
“[The police] can’t break you if you’re locked up—that’s for the safety of everybody out here,” Imani said.
Kristen smiled, noting a rainbow in the sky. “I think this was a great turnout, more than we ever expected,” she said. “And I think my people got a lot out that we’ve been struggling with. This is a start.”
