Protesters march on Washington, demand end to 'blue on black crime'

Aljazeera

Thousands of protesters marched down iconic Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington on Saturday, before making their way to Capitol Hill as part of a national "Day of Resistance" aimed at drawing attention to the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers and calling for legislative action.

The crowd, carrying signs that read "black lives matter," gathered before the march in Freedom Plaza, where protest organizers and family members of victims of police brutality addressed the crowd.

"Let's keep it strong, long and meaningful," Esaw Garner – the widow of Eric Garner, 43, who died after being choked by a New York City police officer in July – told the crowd.

Afterwards, block after block of tightly packed marchers moved through the city. Organizers had predicted 5,000 people would participate in the event, but the crowd appeared to be much larger than that.

As the protesters approached Capitol Hill, where a rally was staged, many chanted slogans including “hands up, don’t shoot” — a reference to the alleged last words of Michael Brown, 18, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August. Other chants included “no justice, no peace” and “can’t stop, won’t stop until killer cops are in cell blocks.”

Speaking at the rally, Rev. Al Sharpton, whose National Action Alliance led the protest, declared "this is not a black march or a white march, this is an American march for the rights of the American people."