BOSTON (WHDH) - Demonstrators gathered on Friday in Roxbury’s Nubian Square to protest the decision not to press charges against the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor.
The protest remained peaceful as that gathered demanded justice. The group marched to the Boston Police Headquarters later in the night and heard from several speakers before moving downtown to City Hall Plaza for a sit-in.
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“I feel like that message being sent that cops can do whatever they want and not be held accountable so this is just an attempt to reenergize the city and reenergize anyone that sees this to get back out on the streets to fight and increase the antiracist movement because this is not ok,” organizer Ernest Jacques Jr. said.
Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh is urging calm and asking demonstrators to respect the city ahead of the protest. Governor Charlie Baker activated the National Guard on Thursday and they remained on standby throughout the duration of the event.
The Lt. Colonel of the Massachusetts National Guard tells 7NEWS that peaceful protesting is fine, but anything beyond that simply won’t be tolerated.
“We want to maintain law and order and at the same time protect everyone’s ability to peacefully assembler and make their voices heard. So in case, there is a need for us we’re a little bit closer than we were perhaps in May,” Lt. Colonel Bryan Pillai said.
In Louisville, Breonna Taylor’s family demanded that Kentucky authorities release all body camera footage, police files, and the transcripts of the grand jury hearings that led to no charges against police officers who killed the Black woman during a March drug raid at her apartment.
This march turned sit-in in Boston is just the start of a weekend full of events.
Another rally is planned for Saturday afternoon.
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