Protesters hold signs as they gather to protest police brutality and racism in the US, with the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 29, 2020. – The Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, a handcuffed African American man, was charged with murder on May 29 as authorities declared a curfew after three nights of violent protests left parts of the city in flames. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Activists on Thursday rallied at the Massachusetts State House to demand conviction of all four officers involved in the police killing of George Floyd and call for authorities to reopen all past cases of police brutality in the state.
Mass Action Against Police Brutality is demanding Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey and state district attorneys appoint independent investigations for all cases involving police brutality.
The rally followed a summer where Massachusetts saw numerous peaceful protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and demanding justice for George Floyd.
“Police Brutality cases require transparency, law enforcement cannot investigate themselves! Demand is growing for numerous cases to be reopened for independent investigations and for police to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mass Action Against Police Brutality said in statement.
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Derek Chauvin, charged with second-degree murder in Floyd's death, is set to stand trial Monday.
Floyd, who was Black, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for several minutes while Floyd said he couldn't breathe.
