Oakland solidarity rally remembers those killed by police in California
OAKLAND, Calif. - In Oakland, protestors gathered outside city hall Thursday night to voice their displeasure with the turn of events in the Breonna Taylor case in Kentucky.
They also brought attention to the lives lost here in California at the hands of law enforcement. About 100 people attended the rally.
It was a somber tribute to people killed by police in this state since 2015.
Their portraits were on display, giving a face to each name. A life lost, but not to be forgotten.
"We generally say the names of the high profile people. What happens when they kill us in massive numbers? The numbers are so great, we can't say all of their names," says Dorsey Nunn, creator of the Stop Killing Us exhibit, which is behind the project that displayed the portraits at the rally.
Heavy hearts made heavier, say family members of those killed by police, when the grand jury cleared two of the three Louisville police officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor.
"It resonates with me because it was the wrong house and the wrong person," says Denise Friday Hall, the mother of Colby Friday who was killed by a Stockton police officer in 2016.
Hall says her 29-year-old son was mistaken for suspect police were looking for. The officer in his shooting was cleared of wrongdoing.
"I'm hurt. It seems to happen over and over again," says Hall.
The enormity of loss was reflected in the hundreds of portraits displayed; many from communities of color: men and women.
"I wear this badge right here and I get people to look at it all the time," says Rick Perez.
He says it's therapeutic to wear a badge with an image of his son and be able to tell his story.
24-year-old Richard Pedi Perez was shot and killed by Richmond police in 2014 outside a liquor store.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office determined that the officer shot in self-defense.
"It's really painful when you lose someone to someone that you trust to protect you," says Perez.
Family members say they want accountability and transparency from police.
"I'm not here to bash the police. I'm here to restore integrity in their policing," says Perez.
"When we say: say their name and we say Breonna, I want you to look around. She's reflective of everybody else that's being killed all the time and nobody's getting charged," said Nunn.
Family members of those killed by law enforcement said beyond street protests, they say people need to get out to vote in new political leadership and laws to stop systemic racism.