Photos by Annika Cline and Amanda LaCasse, Audio Slideshow by Annika Cline
Protesters held a rally Tuesday night at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse after a St. Louis County grand jury decided to not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
Protests have been erupting across the nation over the death of Brown, 18, after he was shot six times by Wilson in an altercation in August.
Black Alliance for Just Immigration created an event page on Facebook soon after the decision was announced. Within hours, over 2,000 people were invited to join the Phoenix protest.
Rep. -elect Reginald Bolding, who will be representing the 27th district in the Arizona House of Representatives, addressed the matter when the rally began. He spoke to the people of Ferguson, but focused on Phoenix and on what the city can do to stop any injustices from happening in its own backyard.
“I’m calling on all police departments in the state of Arizona to examine your data, examine your arrest data to see the disparities that we feel every day,” Bolding said. “Use that data as a catalyst to change polices and procedures that take place in uniform.”
Francisca Porchas, an organizer of the human rights group Puente Movement, attended the rally with other group members.
Members of Puente held a poster that read, “Justice for Mike Brown. Black lives matter.”
“We know what rage is like,” Porchas said. “The anger and frustration after being prosecuted, after being detained in the streets of Arizona and across the country.”
Porchas said those present at the rally stood in solidarity with all black people and all the people of Ferguson.
“We do not know what it’s like to be killed and murdered in cold blood,” Porchas said.
After her speech she chanted, “Black lives matter!”
Charlene Tarver, an attorney at Tarver Law Group, spoke about the law, holding city officials accountable and calling out citizens about their duties.
“We must hold ourselves accountable to ensure that these are individuals who will reflect our community,” Traver said. “Under no circumstances should a jury of 12 be composed of 9 whites in a community that is 87 percent black. We can not have justice when the people that are ensuring the justice are insensitive to the plight of the poor and people of color.”
Traver urged the crowd to be informed, and get more politically involved. She said as humans, we are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by the Constitution.
“My life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is infringed upon when I can not walk through my neighborhood free of fear, free of intimidation and free of racial profiling,” Tarver said.
By holding the citizens accountable for their civic duties, only then can officers be held accountable to stop discrimination in America, she said.
Calvin Terrell, founder of Social Centric, a training program designed to enhance communication skills, attended the rally as well. He said no one is in the clear, including those in attendance at the rally.
Terrell encouraged the crowd to do something more impactful instead of being comfortable and protesting. He mentioned the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico in late September in addition to the Michael Brown case.
“It is on our watch that these brothers and sisters are falling. Those youth … that are fighting standing up against the corruption,” Terrell said. “Let’s honor Mike Brown. Let’s honor all those people that are falling by not just coming out to this rally and getting excited.”
Terell put both of his hands up in demonstration.
“Let’s walk away from this and do something deep something that makes us uncomfortable because this is not comfortable,” he said.
Contact the reporter at rramir30@asu.edu
