More than 100 people marched through Love Park Saturday to protest the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
The demonstration, organized by the Muslim Wellness Foundation, the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative and United Muslim Masjid, gathered at noon at 15th Street and JFK Boulevard. The protest began with a traditional Muslim prayer. Qasim Rashid, one of the organizers, then addressed the crowd.
“Most cops are good people,” he said. “But those few cops who are not seem to be growing.”
Leaders of the group called for an end to the killings of unarmed black men by police officers, citing the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York.
“I’m not sure if my son, who rides his bike down the street, one block away, will come home,” said Kameelah Rashid, another protest organizer.
Some of the organizers also referenced Brandon Tate-Brown, who was shot and killed in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia back on Dec. 15. The shooting occurred after Tate-Brown allegedly reached for a loaded handgun that was stolen last year during a traffic stop.
Family members maintain Tate-Brown, who had served five years in prison for aggravated assault, was trying to get his life back on track by being a “good guy.”
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“Commissioner Ramsey is the one who has to speak for his police officers,” said Tate-Brown’s mother Tonya Goodwin during Saturday’s protest. “It is cold, empty and calculated and I don’t like the fact that I see no grief.”
The protesters marched around City Hall three times while chanting and holding signs. Philadelphia Police were on hand to monitor the protest which they described as peaceful.
“People are people and we’re people,” said Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross. “Everybody responds to things differently. It doesn’t mean we don’t care. It doesn’t mean we don’t have compassion for victims. But it just means that we have to kind of guard ourselves sometimes.”
The protest occurred the same day in which over 100 Philadelphia police officers traveled to New York City to attend the funeral of NYPD officer Rafael Ramos, who was shot to death along with his partner in an ambush attack.
The gunman in the shooting, who later killed himself, referenced both Michael Brown and Eric Garner in online posts prior to the attack, according to officials.
Some have accused the Mike Brown and Eric Garner protesters of indirectly influencing the killing of the NYPD officers by using anti-police rhetoric during their demonstrations. The protesters have denounced the deaths of the officers however while maintaining the gunman was not related in any way to their cause. They also have stated that while they are anti-police brutality, they are not anti-police.
