PHOTO/LYNN ROSSI
LOS ANGELES, CA — Fired Up! The crowd chanted symbolic chants at the “Black and Brown Lives United, Martin Luther King Legacy March,” which took place on April 4, 2015. The march commemorated the 47th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Pastor Cue Jn-Marie led a die-in acknowledging the 6:05 pm shooting death of Dr. King. The message was about “rude awakening,” symbolic words to Dr. King’s speech “I Have A Dream.”
The hues and ethnicities of those who marched were vast, as well as their walks of life in support of equality and justice. Various faith-based leaders and organizers, community members, labor and immigrant rights groups all came together in solidarity, walking through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, as police and bystanders observed.
“Brotha Africa” was remembered. His birth name was Charly Leundeu Keunang. He was the homeless man police shot and killed on March 1, 2015. A video of the killing has since circulated globally. In the foreground of the video you will see a sistah, a homeless woman; her name is Trishwan Carey. Ms. Carey is being held by the L.A. Police Department and the District Attorney. Her bail is set at $1,085,000. Ms. Carey is the only known witness who was close enough to hear the interaction between Africa and the police, just prior to his killing.
On April 7, 2015, just a couple of days after the MLK March there was another march; “Death by Cop: Remember Me.” There was a rude awakening indeed . . . Folks showed up and showed out, it was a real rainbow coalition. They came from the west, south, east and north in solidarity; carrying hundreds of cardboard coffins. The Youth Justice Coalition organized this March, bringing awareness to the hundreds of people killed by law enforcement. The family members and loved ones shared their stories, their pain was very real. These families told their tragic stories of how their loved ones were unexpectedly, without cause, taken from them. Some even continue to speculate to this very day that law enforcement had a part to play in the death of Dr. King.
So, here we are 47 years post the tragic death of Dr. King and many dwelling in the U.S. continue to fight for equality. Most recently is the Walter Scott shooting in South Carolina where a bystander videoed a white police officer fatally shooting an un-armed Black man in the back. From Trayvon Martin to Emmett Till, to so many updated Jim Crow policies, rules and regulations being implimented, wage disparities, housing . . . on and on, we are a country still dealing with strife and plight for many.
Perhaps the Honorable Reverend William Smart, President of Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California sums it up best: “Marching has gotten us half way there; we got to keep marching to get us the rest of the way.” The next march is scheduled for April 14, 2015: “Stop Murder By Police# ShutdownA14.”
