#RiseUpOctober rallies downtown Chicago (VIDEO)

Medill Reports went to the Thompson Center plaza to talk to protestors about #RiseUpOctober

By Benji Cohen and Emiliana Molina

“Black lives matter, Black lives matter, Black lives matter!”

That was the chant protestors cried on Thursday in the Thomson Center Plaza in an effort to bring attention to police brutality.

The “No More Stolen Lives: Say Their Names” protest brought together more than 70 people to remember innocent victims who lost their lives and to hold police accountable.

In a press release handed out at the event, Stop Mass Incarceration Network – Chicago, said a disproportionate number of the people being killed by police have been Black or Brown, and this was the community’s call to action. Faith leaders read out people’s names victimized by police as “a public reading and remembrance: a demand for justice.”

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The passive protest took place at noon as part of the three days of action of #RiseUpOctober. Protests will be held in at least 25 other cities across the U.S.

Family members of victims also attended the event to show support.

Photo at top: Medill Reports went to the Thompson Center plaza to talk to protestors about #RiseUpOctober. (Benji Cohen/Medill)