Durham, NC – About 500 people took to the streets of Durham on Dec. 5 to protest police brutality and the criminal injustice system. Hundreds gathered in Durham's downtown CCB Plaza and rallied for an hour, where mainly African American speakers relayed story after story of police abuse and racist discrimination.
Milwaukee, WI – Hundreds marched through downtown Milwaukee, Dec. 4, led by the family of Dontre Hamilton, who was killed by a Milwaukee Police officer earlier this year. Community members held signs saying “I am Eric Garner.”
Chicago, IL – Over 600 people marched here, Dec. 4, to protest the failure of a grand jury in New York to indict the cop who killed Eric Garner. Many signs at the march noted that Dec. 4, 1969, was the day the Chicago police assassinated Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. Frank Chapman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression states, “To stop police crimes, we have to end police control of Black and Latino communities.”
Gainesville, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Florida marched through campus on Dec. 3. Students are demanding that the University Police Department opt out of the Department of Defense 1033 Program that provides assault rifles and armored vehicles to local police. The 1033 Program came under close scrutiny after protests against the police murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Photos of protesters and residents being confronted by local police armed with assault weapons and tank-type vehicles shocked the world.
Eric Garner was an African American man who was murdered by a white cop with the New York City Police Department. The medical examiner ruled the killing a homicide. The video that shows Eric Garner being choked to death in the street – strangled as a gang of police jumped him – has been viewed by tens of millions. You can hear his last words, “I can’t breathe.” Still, on Dec 3, a white-majority grand jury let the killer cop and his accomplices walk free.
Minneapolis, MN – About 300 people took to the streets here Dec. 4 to demand justice for Eric Gardner, Mike Brown, Terrence Franklin and others killed by racist police. Massive demonstrations against police terror are taking place in cities across the U.S.
Jacksonville, FL – Marissa Alexander took a plea deal offered by the State Attorney to avoid an upcoming trial on Dec. 8 where she would have faced up to 60 years in prison. Alexander was charged in 2012 with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after firing a warning shot to defend herself from her estranged abusive husband.
Salt Lake City, UT – More than 1000 people rallied in front of the Wallace Bennett Federal Building on Nov. 29 to stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson in their fight for justice. Protesters were both mournful about the police murder of Mike Brown and furious about the failure of the Ferguson grand jury to indict Brown’s killer. The large turnout in Salt Lake City is due to killer cops and police brutality in Utah, where many families are suffering injustices.
Milwaukee, WI – Students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) held a die-in on Nov. 25, in reaction to Ferguson cop Darren Wilson not being indicted for killing Mike Brown. About 40 students participated in the protest and many more watched.
Gainesville, FL – 100 students and community members protested the Ferguson grand jury decision, the failure to indict police officer Darren Wilson. Gathering at the Alachua County Court House in Gainesville at on Nov. 25, the protesters, wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas, stood in solidarity as the rain fell.
According to a Nov. 28 report from the Korean Central News Agency, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) talked about the mass protests after the Ferguson verdict in the case the Michael Brown shooting, stating, “After the Missouri State judicial authorities of the U.S. on Nov. 24 decided not to indict a white policeman who shot a black young man to death three months ago, protests against racism took place once again, rapidly spilling over into at least 170 cities across the U.S., including New York and Los Angeles. This is a clear proof of the real picture of the U.S. as tundra of human rights where extreme racial discrimination acts are openly practiced.”
Minneapolis, MN – About 500 students participated in a sit-in at of South High School to protest the grand jury verdict that failed to indict the cop who killed Mike Brown. The sit-in wrapped around the corridors of the entire first floor of the building.
Minneapolis, MN – On Nov. 25, more than 500 students and youth gathered in front of the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Memorial Union to demand justice for Michael Brown and all other victims of police brutality.
Asheville, NC – Over 200 people gathered downtown here, Nov. 25 in front of the Vance Monument to protest the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown.
Milwaukee, WI – 350 people took to the streets here, Nov. 25, upon hearing that Ferguson’s killer cop Darren Wilson was not indicted for the shooting of unarmed teenager Mike Brown. This was the latest protest in Milwaukee against police murder and violence. In a case similar to Ferguson, Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney shot unarmed 32-year-old Dontre Hamilton 14 times in a downtown park in April of this year. Dontre Hamilton was doing nothing wrong. An active and growing movement is calling for the arrest of Manney.
Jacksonville, FL – More than 30 people from the Jacksonville community gathered in Hemming Plaza downtown here, Nov. 24 to protest the Ferguson grand jury verdict and demand justice for Michael Brown.
Miami, FL – On Nov. 25, nearly 200 community members in Miami held an angry protest. It was a reaction to the grand jury’s failure to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson after he shot an unarmed African American teen, Mike Brown, to death in the street. The protesters chanted, “No justice, no peace!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” Miami police arrested two organizers for standing in the wrong place. Later, protesters shut down traffic intersections.
Minneapolis, MN – An estimated 5000 people marched here, Nov. 25, in the wake of the Ferguson, Missouri grand jury decision to not indict the cop who murdered Mike Brown.
Tampa, FL – Over 60 people gathered at the Hillsborough Courthouse located on Twiggs Avenue in downtown here Nov. 25, to protest the injustice against Mike Brown of Ferguson, Missouri. Lightning, thunder and a constant downpour could not stop protesters from expressing their anger.