A protest march that started in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston Friday evening to call for justice for Breonna Taylor made its way downtown, days after it was announced police officers in Kentucky would not face charges in connection to her shooting death.
After marching from Roxbury's Nubian Square, protestors gathered outside Faneuil Hall after the march ended.
The protest, organized by the group Solidarity Against Hate Boston, gathered at Justice Edward O. Gourdin Veterans Memorial Park starting at 6 p.m. There appeared to be hundreds of people gathered for the march. By 9 p.m., protestors were downtown.
The protesters were expected to march to the Boston Police Department headquarters. As the crowd gathered just after 6 p.m., the gathering appeared to be among the larger groups the city has seen in some time.
Organizers urged all participants to wear masks, and many in the crowd were seen wearing them.
Friday's protest comes two days after a grand jury's decision not to charge the officers who shot and killed Taylor. One of the officers involved was charged with wanton endangerment.
A similar protest was held in Boston, Wednesday, hours after the decision was announced.
“Start charging police officers for murder. You in your house sleeping, you ain’t safe. Usually the rebuttal is don’t fight the police, cooperate. How the hell do you do that sleeping?“ community activist Monica Cannon-Grant asked during the Wednesday protest.
Cannon-Grant is sick and tired of being sick and tired -- it's a lingering feeling for the community at large.
“I think that in every generation there’s a civil rights movement, and this is ours,” she said. "When they killed Breonna, they killed our loved one.”
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh addressed the public on Friday.
"I'm asking people planning to demonstrate in Boston tonight and over the weekend to respect the city and respect each other," he said. "I'm asking you to keep it peaceful, I'm asking you to keep it powerful."
Boston mayoral candidate Michelle Wu also weighed in on the grand jury's decision, saying we need to change the system.
“Our so-called justice system decided today that people who are out protesting the injustices of what happened may end up serving more time than the people responsible for her death,” she said.
Reaction to Breonna Taylor Case
Meanwhile, Gov. Charlie Baker signed an order Thursday activating 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard due to possible protests and demonstrations.
The governor's office said the National Guard was activated in case municipal leaders require assistance "to protect opportunities to exercise first amendment rights and to maintain public safety during large scale events." They said National Guard personnel are only deployed at the request of cities and towns requesting support.
