MOSCOW, December 9 (Sputnik) – More than 1,000 protesters crowded Berkeley’s streets on Monday night to demonstrate against US police brutality and grand jury decisions in New York and Ferguson, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday.
Berkeley, California #EricGarner #MichaelBrown pic.twitter.com/1dIz7gsIcS
— Negar Mortazavi (@NegarMortazavi) 9 декабря 2014
It was the third night in a series of Berkley protests designed to bring attention to the excessive use of power by police officers and the ineffectiveness of US judicial system.
“We’re standing up for what we want, standing up for ourselves,” said one of the protesters, 30-year old Danielle Fung. “We are bringing attention to humanity,” she added.
The protesters blocked Interstate 80, a major highway connecting San-Francisco with New York City, as well as neighboring streets and stopped a locomotive, holding up a sign “Black lives matter”, USA Today reported.
amtrak blocked in berkeley #shutitdown because #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/EYEyfoWhSB
— Anonymous (@YourAnonGlobal) 9 декабря 2014
“By shutting down this train, it will delay the rest of the trains in the Bay Area,” he said. “Now everyone will be asking, 'Why are the trains delayed?’ Because of the protesters. Unless we’re free, we will prevent the system from operating,” said 30-year old Navid Shaghaghi, cited by San Francisco Chronicle.
The grand jury’s decisions in Ney York and Ferguson not to bring charges against white police officers responsible for deaths of two black men - Eric Garner and Michael Brown - caused mass discontent among American citizens and have led to a wave of protests in a number of US cities.