Members of the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition plan to show their support for the town of Ferguson, Missouri, where police shot an unarmed, black teenager one week ago.The group will hold a solidarity rally in Hemming Plaza Saturday afternoon. Richard Blake is one of the organizers of the event.
“The outrage was so much that people immediately [said] we should do something here in Jacksonville, because the protesters there were calling for protests around the country to stand in solidarity with Michael Brown, his family and the protesters in Ferguson," said Blake.
Witnesses in Ferguson say 18 year old Michael Brown had his hands in the air to show he was unarmed when he was shot by the police officer.
Jacksonville community organizer Angie Nixon says the tragedy makes for another sadly familiar cautionary tale.
“I have a nephew and so, when he’s growing up I have to worry about making sure he doesn’t wear a hood or making sure that if he sees the police, the police ask him to stop, that he has to move slowly and throw his hands up," Nixon said. "But then that doesn’t mean anything anymore because Michael Brown threw his hands up. So what do I tell my nephew? What do I tell my daughter?"
The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition is an activist organization whose focus is on justice and social change.
The rally is set for 6:00 on Saturday.
