A grand jury in the United States will be asked on Saturday whether to prosecute a New York police officer over the fatal shooting of Akai Gurley, an
ADVERTISEMENTA grand jury in the United States will be asked on Saturday whether to prosecute a New York police officer over the fatal shooting of Akai Gurley, an unarmed black man in Brooklyn.
He was shot in the chest as he and his girlfriend walked into the hallway of their apartment building last month.
It comes as thousands of people have taken to the streets of cities across the country to show their anger at two other cases where white police officers killed unarmed black men: Eric Garner who was choked to death in New York and Michael Brown who was shot dead in Ferguson
In New York City on Friday, protesters staged a ‘die-in’ at Macy’s and at an Apple store where they laid down on the floor.
One protester said: “We are protesting Eric Garner, Mike Brown, many of the injustices that have been committed, and we need some justice. We need people to pay attention. We can’t have business as usual.”
Another added: “With our voices being heard and us being united, we believe we can make a difference in letting these people know that this has to stop. It has to stop today. No more police brutality. It’s not really about race, it’s about equality and the social justice system.”
UN human rights experts say they have “legitimate concerns” about US grand juries failing to charge the two policemen and that it is part of a broader “pattern of impunity” in relation to minority victims.