Photos: Hundreds Protest Police Violence Against African-Americans
By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 27, 2016 2:52PM
Hundreds of activists organized at Loyola University on Monday afternoon to protest the fatal police shootings of unarmed black men.
The demonstration was organized by Black Students Matter: LUC, and brought together between 400 and 500 protesters to the school's Information Commons (1032 W. Sheridan Rd.) to protest prominent examples of police shootings. Most recently and prominently, Keith Lamont Scott and Terence Crutcher were fatally shot by police in Charlotte and Tulsa, respectively. Activists also spoke out against the killings of teenagers Laquan McDonald and Paul O'Neal.
The large mass of protesters marched around the university then returned to the common area for a time of healing, in which they took a moment of silence for victims of extra-judicial killing. After the scheduled protest ended, crowd members took to the microphones to share experiences of racism and police harassment.
Activists also organized a die-in on Monday morning at Loyola's Damen Student Center.
Last year, students arranged a similar, large-scale protest that drew over 800 participants, according to Black Students Matter.