(Newswire.net — December 8, 2014) — Berkley, California – An avalanche of deadly police actions across the country, which many deem racially biased, continue as 28-year-old Akai Gurley was gunned down in Brooklyn.
Gurley was with his girlfriend and unarmed when he was killed in a darkened public housing stairwell. The police stated that the officer may have accidentally discharged his gun. Kevin Powell, the president of the advocacy group, BK Nation called the shooting the latest in a “series of modern-day lynching.”
Recently, the grand jury did not indict an officer for killing a suspect, in case of Eric Garner, even when the incident was video taped. The video unambiguously showed a police officer choking Garner to death. The police union shamefully stated that Garner died because he was overweight and in bad health condition, even though martial arts experts confirmed that officer applieda potentially lethal chocking grip.
The people of New York do not accept that police officers have a ‘license to kill’. The peaceful protests went violent when some of the protesters took to more extreme methods of expression, according to the police.
“They started throwing rocks and other projectiles at our officers,” Jennifer Coats, a spokesperson for the Berkeley Police Department, told CNN. “Some officers have suffered minor injuries as a result,” she said.
The moment several masked protesters started to throw projectiles at the police officers, the anti-riot cordon moved on unmasked protesters commanding them to move away. Other protesters urged the aggravated protesters not to use violence.
Protests have erupted across the country in Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas and dozens of other cities. Several dozen people participated in a mock ‘die-in’ protest in New York, where a fourth consecutive day of rallies took place. Protesters gathered at Grand Central Station, as well as conducting protests inside shops on Times Square. There were no reports of arrests.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, several hundred people assembled at police headquarters Saturday, which resulted in a small group of protesters hurling rocks at police officers. Seven of the protesters were arrested.
In Portland, Oregon, peaceful protesters entered the Justice Center building, shouting “Justice,” before moving to a shopping mall, where the chant turned to “Don’t shoot” and “Black lives matter.”