Justice for All Stolen Lives march demands accountability, healing
Chants echoed through the streets of St. Paul Sunday during a march and caravan as protesters sought justice for all those killed during encounters with law enforcement.
The Justice for All Stolen Lives march started near the Western District station of the St. Paul Police Department and headed to the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol.
Families and friends representing more than 50 victims say they wanted accountability and answers for their loved ones' deaths — and acknowledgement of the trauma those deaths have caused.
“We're looking for them to acknowledge all of the families, and not just the families that made it into the media,” said Toshira Garraway, founder of the group Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence. “They've done a lot of harm to a lot of families and hurt a lot of people when we're just trying to hold everybody accountable.”
Tekle Sundberg was killed by police in July 2022 during a standoff while he was in a mental health crisis. Tekle's father, Mark Sundberg, spoke about the challenge of attending the march.
“I mean, we don't want to be here. It's it's really hard. And we just know that there's so many people in the same situation, that we just, we all have to support each other,” Sundberg said. “Coming out here and just feeling the love of other people that are in your club now. It helps.”
Representatives of each person killed addressed the crowd on the Capitol steps. They also heard from the cousin of Emmett Till, just ahead of the 68th anniversary of his lynching.
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