Hundreds protested in Boston on Saturday, calling for justice and change following last weekend's police shooting death of Daunte Wright.
Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter during an April 11 traffic stop in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota -- just miles from where George Floyd was killed by police last year.
The former police chief in Brooklyn Center said Potter, who is white, mistakenly fired her handgun when she meant to use her Taser. Both the chief and Potter resigned Tuesday, and Potter was charged with second-degree manslaughter.
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Saturday's rally in Boston drew protesters who have been angered and frustrated by the onslaught of stories of Black Americans killed at the hands of police across the nation throughout the past year.
The demonstrators marched from Nubian Square in Roxbury to the Boston Common, and they say they won't stop until they get justice and change.
One of those protesters was Northeastern freshman Elana Lane. And while Lane may live 1,100 miles away from Minnesota, she says the police fatal shooting of Wright hits home.
"I sat in my room and I cried a lot," Lane said. "It's just, this keeps happening and the fact that it does and like nothing's changed, it's very disheartening."
That's why Lane and others felt the need to make signs and add their voices to the crowd rallying for justice in Nubian Square.
Many demonstrators held signs that read, "Not an Accident, It's Murder. Justice for Daunte Wright," "Justice for George Floyd and Daunte Wright," "Daunte Wright, No Justice, No Peace," "Defund the Police," and "Black Lives Matter."
Protester Joe Tache said, "Every time something like this happens, more and more people wake up to the reality of what life is like for Black people, for working class people in this country."
The group's calls for accountability and an end to police brutality echoed the protests that have been happening across the country this past week.
"We see the struggle isn’t just in Minneapolis, it's not just in Boston, it's across the country. It's the nature of policing in this country," Tache said.
They marched to the Boston Common in solidarity, with a message that isn't new. It's one they've tried to get out before, but organizers say as long as things like this keep happening, they have to keep trying.
"It’s a shame that during the trial of Derek Chauvin, 14 miles away, there's another murder by the hands of the police, it's like come on," one protester said. "I can only speak for myself... I don’t really know... we gotta do something."
Those who rallied in Boston on Saturday afternoon say a conviction for Potter is not enough. They want change.
To that end, they have another march planned for Sunday night. Organizers have asked attendees to wear black to that event, and, of course, a mask.
