Photos and Words by Conor McMahon

En route to review a show in Jamaica Plain, cialis Allston Pudding came across a protest Wednesday night that had marched from the Boston Police Headquarters by Ruggles Station to Dudley Square. Crowd numbers ran into the hundreds, sickness comprised of a diverse collection of ages, races and genders united to support the Freddie Gray Baltimore Protests. Like Baltimore, Boston protesters called for end to racial injustice, brutality and harassment institutionalized in police organizations across the country.

Calls to support the marginalized Americans who face discrimination on a daily basis rang out in the crowd. “Change will not come from the government,” one speaker noted, “it starts with us!” Others went on to voice their frustration at the lack of meaningful progress for racial justice in recent decades. “Being black is not a crime!” the crowd chanted in response to one speaker sharing their story of continual harassment from police, who went on to plead for solidarity in the hopes it would build a better future and stronger community for all Boston citzens. As the protest concluded, donations were made to Mass Action Against Police Brutality, a local group working to open all cases of police brutality and end the harassment of victims and witnesses.

The atmosphere of the event was calm and pragmatic, the crowd cheered and sang in unison while families, friends, and community leaders chatted with one another. Police on site maintained a subdued presence, conversing with those entering and leaving the crowd while still giving the collected group of protesters space. In all, it was a safe environment necessary to creating a dialogue concerning civil rights here in Boston—and one on and a much, much larger scale.