Black Lives Matter protesters march in Philadelphia
Several dozen demonstrators walked six miles on North Broad Street on Sunday night, marching to keep their message that Black Lives Matter in the public eye.
Several dozen demonstrators walked six miles on North Broad Street on Sunday night, marching to keep their message that Black Lives Matter in the public eye.
"Black Lives Matter just wants justice," said A.J. Jenkins, 21. "We just want equality. We don't hate cops; we hate police brutality."
Jenkins was among about 50 people who walked from Broad Street and Olney Avenue to City Hall, escorted by police, who directed traffic.
The protest was part of a national movement seeking to draw attention to police brutality directed toward African Americans, including instances when officers have shot unarmed black men.
The march was subdued compared with the heated confrontations between protesters and police in Philadelphia a week ago. When Sunday's demonstrators arrived at City Hall, they sat on the building's steps or talked in small groups. Police officers in patrol cars watched the peaceful gathering from the street.
On Sunday morning, a gunman killed three police officers in Baton Rouge, La., and wounded three others. Reverberations from that were felt in Philadelphia.
"It's not fair. These [officers] have lives and families," said Kayla Tarpley, 24. The Louisiana events, she said, are "just adding to the fire."
Rasheed Davis, 20, of West Philadelphia, participated Sunday, he said, because he sees the city as a place riddled with "opportunity deserts." Public events that draw attention to black Americans' concerns about how they are treated by police, Davis said, are necessary to highlight the disadvantages faced by people in poor neighborhoods.
"What people don't realize is we don't have the resources," he said. "We're not mad at white citizens, but if you don't speak up, it's no help."
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