BYP100 stages ‘die-in’ in response to Mike Brown grand jury decision
Members of the Black Youth Project 100 gathered outside of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office Tuesday to protest the decision by a Missouri grand jury to not charge Officer Darren Wilson who shot and killed an unarmed teen in August.
The protestors lay motionless on the floor outside Emanuel’s office for 4 1/2 minutes Tuesday morning — a symbolic gesture of unity, they said, with Michael Brown, the teen killed by Ferguson (Mo.) police officer Darren Wilson in August.
The “die in” kicked off what protesters said would be a 28-hour sit-in at City Hall following the announcement Monday that Wilson would not be indicted in Brown’s death.
Every 28 hours, a police officer, a self-appointed vigilante or a security guard kills a black person in America, the protesters said.
The protesters accused Emanuel, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy and the City Council of being part of the problem.
“They need to stop being complicit in the destruction of black bodies,” said Charlene Carruthers, national co-chair of Black Youth Project 100.
Read more at Chicago Sun-Times
About 150 protesters showed up. Police officers stood nearby, but there were no immediate arrests.
Black Youth Project 100 (BYP 100) is an activist member-based organization of Black 18-35 year olds, dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. We do this through building a network focused on transformative leadership development, non-violent direct action organizing, advocacy and education using a Black queer feminist lens. We are an organization affiliated with the Black Youth Project.
Black lives do matter.
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