Protesters March In Minneapolis For Jamar Clark
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Hundreds of protesters marched Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis to demand justice for a man shot and killed by police in November.
Organizers described the march earlier this week as the biggest the Twin Cities will have ever seen.
The Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar Clark started the rally at the 4th Precinct police station in north Minneapolis just before 1 p.m.
Related: An Overview Of The Jamar Clark Shooting
A 4th Precinct officer shot and killed Clark on Nov. 15. Witnesses told police he was handcuffed at the time.
The police union says he was not, and that he tried to grab an officer's gun.
Nearly three weeks of protests at the 4th Precinct followed the shooting.
Saturday's protest demands that the officers involved be prosecuted without the involvement of a grand jury.
Protesters marched to the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
"This whole issue of racial justice and equality has been extremely important to me," retired pastor Steven Benson said at the rally. "It's been part of my work all my life."
Many of the protesters say they want understanding, even after they are done occupying the streets.
"Nobody wants to be out here in this cold. I want to be extra clear about that: Nobody wants to be out here," Mel Reeves of Minneapolis said at the rally. "But we have no choice. If we don't protest, if we don't raise a ruckus, nothing will happen."
Minneapolis Police say no arrests were made at Saturday's protests, which lasted more than four hours.
After Saturday's protest, organizers plan to meet to discuss a rally on Wednesday at Mall of America.
The group Black Lives Matter says it will gather in the rotunda starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The group is continuing demands it has made since Clark's shooting: release video of the incident and prosecute the officers involved.
Black Lives Matter shut down part of the mall the Saturday before Christmas last year. Police arrested dozens of people.
The mall's attorney says the mall is private property and that it will continue to prohibit protests, no matter how righteous the cause.
Related: Charges Dropped Against 12 MOA Black Lives Matter Protesters; 17 Still Face Charges
