St. Paul, Minn. — An orderly crowd of demonstrators gathered Sunday afternoon outside the police department of the officer who shot and killed a black man during a traffic stop that was broadcast live on Facebook.
The group of civil rights activists, immigrant advocates, socialists and others called for justice for Philando Castile in Saint Anthony, an overwhelmingly white, middle-class suburb of split level homes and trimmed lawns. Officer Jeronimo Yanez fatally wounded Castile, 32, Wednesday evening in neighboring Falcon Heights.
“No justice, no peace. Prosecute the police,” they shouted, carrying a banner that read “Blue Lies Matter.”
Demonstrators pushed their children in strollers or walked their dogs alongside a scroll that listed more than 200 people that activists said have been killed by police in Minnesota since 1984. Steps away, an electronic city hall sign flashed news of an antiques festival and requested police volunteers.
The peaceful protest stood in stark contrast to late Saturday’s “freeway riot,” which brought traffic to a standstill for hours on a stretch of interstate near downtown St. Paul. After demonstrators refused police requests to disperse, a line of officers in riot gear met them with smoke bombs and tear gas.
Protesters fired firecrackers at police and threw bottles, rebar and chunks of concrete in a conflict that lasted into the early morning, according to witness accounts.
During Sunday’s protest, Alice Chavez, 60, took to the microphone to speak about her son Eugene Smith, 29, who was shot and killed by St. Paul police in May at his home. Police said he drew his gun on them, but Chavez described her son as sitting on his bed with his girlfriend.
“I want our kids to feel safe in their beds,” she said. “I want to believe in America again.”
A police officer should not act as an executioner, she said.
“Who is he to say you can’t have life? Who is he? He’s nobody. A rogue cop,” Chavez said.
Latina activist Antonia Alvarez, 46, said Saint Anthony police are known for harassing the poor. A resident in a mobile home park there, she said that one of the department’s officers threatened to throw her brother into prison for the rest of his life, she said.
All races should stand up against police brutality, Alvarez said.
“Wherever there are poor people, it’s the same experience,” Alvarez said.
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