By ideastream's Brian Bull
In downtown Cleveland, a group of roughly 30 protesters gathered in the -6 wind chill this afternoon to mark Martin Luther King Junior’s legacy and make the point that there’s more work to be done.
Organizers had hoped that 70 to 100 people would show on the steps of the Justice Center, but low temperatures and cutting winds nearing 30 miles per hour seem to have affected turnout, according to Pat Mahoney. He’s with the Justice League, a coalition of student organizations at Cleveland State University that works on progressive causes.
“It’s cold out here, but I think we’re all kind of upset and angry, and that’s kind of the fire that’s keeping us here," Mahoney told WCPN. "Basically we’re looking at a justice system which is broken…uh, refuses to kinda fight back against injustices that are committed by the Cleveland Division of Police.”
Mahoney says the lack of indictments in the Tamir Rice case, the 137 Shots case, and other recent examples of African-Americans dying in confrontations with city police demonstrate that more needs to be said and done.
The group marched to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and other sections of downtown Cleveland.