Rally held over fatal police shooting in South Carolina
Dozens gathered outside the North Charleston City Hall on Wednesday morning chanting "No justice, no peace" in protest of the fatal shooting in the back of an apparently unarmed black man by a white police officer. The rally was organized by a coalition put together in response to the multiple fatal police encounters that made headlines last year.
People told stories about police harassment in North Charleston for offenses like marijuana possession and expired license tags.
Muhiyidin Moye, a member of the Black Lives Matter group who ran the demonstration with a bullhorn, said: "There shouldn't be so many stories. But there are."
Nicole King, who called herself a friend of Scott's fiancée, left the rally in tears.
She said: "It was just a traffic stop. It could have been any of us."
The group, which numbered about 50 or so, expressed repeated outrage about the eight shots fired at Walter Lamer Scott as he ran from North Charleston Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager after a traffic stop.
Scott's brother Anthony Scott said Tuesday: "I thought that my brother was gunned down like an animal. It was just unbelievable to me to see that."
Many at the rally suggested there would have been no charges had the incident not been caught on camera.
The South Carolina NAACP released a statement late Tuesday night commending the U.S. Attorney's office, the FBI, SLED, and other law enforcement personnel for bringing charges against Slager, reports CBS affiliate WCSC in Charleston.
"The rapid response by law enforcement in this matter does bring some level of comfort to the community in the hopes that the judicial process will render an adequate measure of justice for the victim," Dr. Lonnie Randolph Jr., President of the SC State Conference of the NAACP said in a statement.
The shooting occurred as heightened scrutiny is being placed on police officer shootings, particularly those that involve white officers and unarmed black suspects.
In November, a St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown last August, leading to nationwide protests. A few weeks later, a grand jury in New York decided not to charge an NYPD officer in the chokehold death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner.
The Charleston Branch of the NAACP is expected to hold a press conference later Wednesday.
Reverend Jesse Jackson released a statement Tuesday night, saying: "It is long past time to end the wave of terror against men of color in the US. The punishment for traffic violation is not death."