Activists marched from Shawmut to Fields Corner Saturday as part of a protest organized by Mass Action Against Police Brutality.
The protest comes two days before the trial of Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd last May.
“We’ve tried to help center the protest movement around the demands of the families,” Brock Satter, an organizer at Mass Action, said in an interview before Saturday’s protest.
Dozens of protesters gathered before 1 p.m. at Peters Park, which activists recognize as Terrence Coleman Park — in memory of a Black man killed by police in the neighborhood in 2016.
Satter began a round of speeches around 1:30 p.m.
“We’ve called a demonstration to demand the conviction of all these officers, starting with Derek Chauvin in this upcoming trial,” Satter said. “We want the world to know, if they haven’t, that this isn’t just about George Floyd. In every city, in every state, we have many George Floyds.”
A few minutes after he began speaking, Satter introduced Jennifer Root Bannon, whose brother Juston Root was killed by police officers last year. Root Bannon said police fired 31 shots at her brother.
“It’s a hole in my heart, and it’s a hole in my heart when I watch the news and I watch other things happening to other people,” Root Bannon said. “We need accountability, we need transparency, we need justice.”
After Root Bannon spoke, Satter led the crowd in a chant: “31 shots. Jail those killer cops.”
Next, Satter said one of Mass Action’s demands was to officially rename Peters Park after Terrence Coleman in addition to reopening his case. He then introduced Coleman’s mother, Hope Coleman.
“You can’t call 911, you have to handle your own stuff, you never know if you might not come back or be shot,” Coleman said. “Reopen the damn cases now.”
Satter then came back on the mic and introduced Annemarie Grant, whose brother Thomas Purdy was killed by police in Reno, Nevada last year.
“They put him face down and they asphyxiated him to death,” Grant said. “I think it’s important for law enforcement to start acknowledging that prone restraint kills people, tasers kill people.”
Tahia Bell-Sykes, another member of Mass Action, spoke next.
“Martin Luther King stood for us, Malcolm X stood for us, we have to stand for us now,” Bell-Sykes said.
A few minutes later, Carla Sheffield, the final speaker at Peters Park, got on the mic.
Sheffield said her son, Burrell Ramsey-White, was killed by Boston police in 2012. She read aloud an untitled poem she wrote after her son’s death.
“As my story comes to an end, how do I tell my grandchildren police are your friend?” Sheffield said. “You reap what you sow, and just so you know, as Burrell’s mother, I will never let this go.”
Around 2:40 p.m., organizers loaded the audio equipment onto a pickup truck and started a march toward Fields Corner.
Satter stood at the back of the truck, leading chants as four speakers blasted Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout” — a song that repeats the names Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Emmett Till, among others.
Satter continued to lead chants as the protestors marched down Washington Street, Dudley Street and Hancock Street, playing beats through the four speakers. Protestors placed flyers on parked cars as they walked by.
“No cops, no KKK, no fascist USA,” Satter chanted to a beat.
Around 4:20 p.m., Satter stopped the beats and pointed behind him toward Saint Peter Parish.
“Over 10 years ago now, I attended a funeral in that church for a young man, 16 years old, killed by the Boston police,” Satter said. “Unfortunately there was no movement at the time, and that family did not feel confident enough to pursue justice on this case.”
The protestors arrived at Doherty-Gibson Playground around 5 p.m. Satter and a fews others spoke before the protest ended and the crowd dispersed.
“We’re truly witnessing history,” Satter told The Daily Free Press before Saturday’s protest. “What we’ve already witnessed in the last six years was just scratching the surface.”
Kayla Goodale, a 22-year-old Brighton resident, said she attended the protest to call for justice in Chauvin’s upcoming trial.
“We want to make sure that nationally we’re putting pressure to make sure that he gets whatever justice our current system can provide,” Goodale told The Daily Free Press. “And to push for changes to make sure that we’re able to get a better sense of justice in the future.”
Satter said he expected protests to continue as the year goes on.
“Six years ago, we said that there would be a new normal in this country,” Satter said. “Until there’s fundamental change, people are gonna remain in the streets.”
