Minneapolis protesters: 'Unjust killing' must stop
Protesters in Minneapolis gathered again Saturday to express their outrage over police brutality, joining a wave of demonstrations that occurred across the nation.
Hundreds of people came to the Neighborhoods Organizing for Change office in north Minneapolis to discuss ways to hold police more accountable for their actions.
The meeting followed separate decisions by grand juries in Missouri and New York to not indict white police officers in the deaths of unarmed African-American men. Nationwide, people of all races have taken to the streets since Wednesday to condemn a New York grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer who used a chokehold on Eric Garner, a black man who died on a city street.
After the Minneapolis meeting, about 200 people marched down Broadway Avenue and then briefly blocked the intersection leading to northeast Minneapolis.
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Adja Gildersleve of the group Black Lives Matter Minneapolis said the brief "die-in" they held near the bridge connecting north Minneapolis to northeast Minneapolis was intended to highlight the racial differences between the two neighborhoods.
"The police wanted to keep us safe, so they actually blocked off the street," she said. "We had marshals that were also working to help keep us safe by blocking off the streets as well. The police wanted to prevent us from getting on the highway. But we got to peacefully got to protest on the street."
Anthony Newby, executive director of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, said the community meeting on more police accountability aims to harness the anger many people are feeling.
"We're hoping to coordinate the energy in a productive way that offers some solutions," he said. "It's one thing to protest and be angry about the current situation. It's another thing to come up with real ideas to fix it. That's the goal."
Newby said the group is crafting a "Community Bill of Rights" to present to Minneapolis officials. He said it will support the use of police body cameras and call for clearer procedures for arrests related to low-level offenses.
Also Saturday, about 20 protesters gathered outside the Third Precinct police headquarters holding signs reading "Don't shoot" and "I can't breathe," a reference to Garner, who told police that 11 times before he died.
Shea Peeples of Minneapolis said she wanted to be part of an important movement.
"This has to stop. The unjust killing of people -- black people in particular, people of color in particular -- has to stop," she said. "It's clearly a mindless, unthinking pattern, and it has to be interrupted."
Saturday's events followed larger demonstrations on Thursday, when protesters walked from south Minneapolis, blocked part of Interstate 35W and rallied at Minneapolis City Hall.
Demonstrators around the country have staged "die-ins" and other protests since the New York grand jury's decision Wednesday, which closely followed a Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict a white officer in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old.
Protests continued in New York City for a fourth day on Saturday, with several dozen people lying down on the floor of Grand Central Terminal. Demonstrators also took to the streets in southern California, Chicago, Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale.
On Sunday, a student rally is planned at the Minneapolis downtown central library. Some demonstrators also have called for a show of solidarity at the game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets at TCF Stadium.
Meanwhile, the mother and widow of the man whose death sparked the nationwide wave of protests said Saturday they've been moved by the thousands of peaceful demonstrators.
"It is just so awesome to see how the crowds are out there,'' said Eric Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, who added that she ended up stuck in her car after protests shut down traffic.
"I was just so proud of that crowd,'' Carr said. "It just warmed my heart.''
Garner's widow, Esaw Garner, said she saw demonstrators from her apartment window and told her son, "Look at all the love that your father's getting.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
