Bostonians Protest Peacefully In Solidarity With Baltimore

Hundreds in Boston showed their solidarity with Baltimore protesters by holding a peaceful demonstration Wednesday night.

Protesters gathered in a park behind Boston police headquarters in Roxbury to rally against police violence, focusing on the recent death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered a serious spinal injury while in Baltimore police custody.

No arrests were reported as protesters gathered and marched from BPD headquarters to a park in Dudley Square, accompanied by police who blocked streets for them. Marchers chanted, "No justice, no peace, no racist police" and some carried signs, including "Boston Stands With Baltimore" and "I do not mourn broken windows, I mourn broken necks."

At the protests, Nikia Ramsey spoke about her brother, Burrell Ramsey White, who she says was killed by police in Boston in 2012. The officer was cleared, and Ramsey said she isn't satisfied.

"I'm tired, people in Baltimore are tired, people in Ferguson are tired," she said. "This is out of control and it has got to stop."

Also among the rally speakers was Wayne Dozier, grandfather of D.J. Henry, a black college football player from Easton who was shot by police in the suburbs of New York City four years ago. Dozier said his eldest grandson "was well-honored wherever he went."

"Just like a lot of other people who have lost loved ones to the police, it hurts," Dozier said. "It's not a black thing. It's a society thing. We really have to change society's projection of black men."

Boston organizers said they want "amnesty" for the some 300 protesters and rioters who have been arrested in Baltimore, as well as a lifting of the city curfew and state of emergency declaration.

The protest organizers also suggested they'll plan more demonstrations in Boston to keep pressure on police.

"They were hoping that this would die down, that we would go back into our houses, that we would shelter in place," said Brock Satter, an organizer of the protest. "But that's not happening."

Boston Police Supt. William Gross said the department supports protesters' right to gather and speak out.

"We as a BPD have no issues with anyone being out here," Gross said. "We just ask that you do it peacefully."

With reporting by WBUR's Simon Rios