Three months ago, 29-year-old Roxbury resident Ricky Bodden died at the hands of Boston Municipal Police Officer Kyle Wilcox in a Dorchester park after Bodden allegedly pointed a gun at the officer.
Yesterday, a group of more than 50 protesters marched from the Park Street T station to Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin’s office demanding an investigation into the Dec. 27 incident.
Carrying signs that read “Do your job Mr. DA, Don’t let a murderer get away,” and “The people are watching,” friends and relatives of Bodden, local activists and members of the community groups Streets Is Watching and the Coalition for Justice weaved through Downtown Crossing to Government Center on the cold and windy afternoon.
“We are not here to bash the police department or the city of Boston,” said Asia Grady, a local activist and emcee of the rally. “We are here because of the fact that the investigation into this matter has thus far proved fruitless in bringing forth the answers that this family and the community need in order to move on.”
In addition to the inquest, organizers of the rally demanded an apology to the Bodden family from both Wilcox and the Boston Municipal Police, prosecution of Wilcox and the establishment of a civilian review board in Boston to determine police accountability in cases like Bodden’s.
“Here a family has lost a child at the hands of the authority that is supposed to provide protection and yet when they try to get information, the information isn’t there,” said City Councilor Chuck Turner (Roxbury, South End). “We have to say as a community that this is wrong and we have to go further, and the further step we need to take is to make sure that we stand behind the civilian police review board.”
“My brother’s not here. We can’t bring him back, and all we can do is stand around and go down to the DA’s office … and try to show him that we come in numbers, that it’s not just me and my family fighting this cause, it’s all of you,” said Carol Bodden.
Police officers outside Martin’s office only allowed Bodden and Terry Marshall, a main organizer of Streets Is Watching, to enter the building, where they dropped off a letter of demands. The crowd outside chanted, “Hey, hey, Mr. DA. The people are watching and we won’t go away,” and sang Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up,” in order to grab the attention of workers.
The officers guarding the building stood stone-faced while activists spoke about police brutality and declined to comment.
“This issue ought to transcend color, even if the color is blue,” Grady said.