NEW YORK (Sputnik) — A group of protesters, civil rights leaders and local lawmakers embarked on a trip from New York to Washington, DC in an effort to battle police brutality and racial profiling, the advocacy group The Justice League NYC announced in a statement on Monday.
“We march in solidarity with our elders, our youths, our incarcerated brothers and sisters and the families and communities of those impacted by police brutality,”, behind the march, said in a statement.
The march began in Staten Island, New York and will continue through several states until marchers arrive in Washington DC on April 22 where they will hold a rally. CBS reported that about 100 people left New York on Monday morning.
“The next generation is saying, ‘please leave the world better than you found it,’” Williams said on his Twitter account while participating in the march.
Amongst the demands of the group is the immediate firing of New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who put US citizen Eric Garner in a lethal chokehold that killed him and sparked nationwide protests.
Other demands include a US federal investigation into Gardner’s death, a comprehensive New York Police Department training program and new legislation to clarify rules for using lethal force by police officers.
The Justice League NYC is a task force of juvenile and criminal justice advocates, artists and experts as well as formerly incarcerated US individuals that coordinates efforts in and around New York City in response to the non-indictment of Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, according to the task force’s website.
