Protestors across California shut down roads and a freeway Thursday during demonstrations in solidarity with activists across the nation who are outraged by the non-indictment of police officers in the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York City. Demonstrators claim the police acted with excessive force and out of racial bias.
Locations for protests in Berkeley and Sacramento were among those posted to the Ferguson National Response Network (FNRN), a collective site of protests relating to Brown, Garner and others. More are posted for the coming days in locations in California and across the country.
Protesters also gathered in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles on Thursday, as some had done Wednesday night after the Garner grand jury decision was announced.
Derrick Mustelier (@bioponic) posted a photo of a host of protest attendees at Berkeley:
HAPPENING NOW: UC Berkeley #BlackLivesMatter protest #ICantBreathe #JusticeForEricGarner #JusticeForMikeBrown pic.twitter.com/ITrOenwnQG
— Derrick Mustelier (@bioponic) December 4, 2014
An individual self-identifying as Michael Anderson (@theMRAnderson) posted a link to a video of protestors with the message, “#ThisStopsToday We PEACEFULLY shut down I-5 tonight in #Sacramento tonight for #EricGarner and #MichaelBrown #AllLifeMatters #Change never happens quietly but it can happen in peace.” Another video, posted by Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV), showed what he identifies as Sacramento protesters shutting down I-5.
Protesters is #Sacramento blocking I-5. Traffic at complete stop. https://t.co/Ej9GIz1ML9
— Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV) December 5, 2014
A group called EdMonth organized a “Teach-In” at the University of Southern California campus from 4-6 Thursday afternoon. The event was called “RememberEd: In Memory of Michael Brown” and was held at the McCarthy Quad.
California Representative Barbara Lee joined in the “HandsUp” action, tweeting a photo of herself with her hands up and the words “Death of ?#EricGarner was a tragedy & decision not to indict is an outrage. ?#BlackLivesMatter ?#TheSystemIsBroken“
Death of #EricGarner was a tragedy & decision not to indict is an outrage. #BlackLivesMatter #TheSystemIsBroken pic.twitter.com/yMElSr8aql
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) December 3, 2014
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “The rally in Oakland was the fifth in two weeks, including three demonstrations last week that ended with riot police chasing down and arresting epithet-screaming vandals who broke windows, damaged property and threw things at officers.”
Occupy Oakland posted the following photo December 3, the night the grand jury decision not to indict an officer in the Eric Garner case was released and protests broke out in Oakland:
There are call outs for both 5pm and 7pm tonight at 14th and Broadway in #Oakland for #EricGarner #ICantBreathe #ThisStopsToday #SF #BayArea
— Occupy Oakland (@OccupyOakland) December 5, 2014
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
Photo: Twitter/Mama Young(@THEHOMIESUMA)
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