Black Lives Matter - There Comes A Time When Silence Is Betrayal - London's Oxford Circus - 8 July 2016
I was impressed by the spontaneity, passion and excellent organization at very short notice of the "Black Lives Matter" march through central London yesterday.
The aim of the marchers was to highlight the low value seemingly placed on black lives in response to the fatal shootings by U.S. police officers of Philando Castile, a 32 year old cafeteria supervisor in St. Paul, Minnesota and Alton Sterling, a 37 year old father of five in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The marchers initially assembled at the South Bank before crossing the river into Westminster. Many of them shouted "Black Lives Matter" and "Hands Up Don't Shoot" as they first passed parliament at about 19.30 and then Whitehall, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Broadcasting House and Oxford Street.
Friday's protest was the first of several planned in London against police brutality and racism which organizers were keen to stress was a worldwide problem.
Black Lives Matter was established in July 2013 following the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighbourhood watch officer who fatally injured a 17 year old black high school student, Trayvon Martin, in Florida and it has subsequently become an international movement campaigning against the perceived relative acceptability of violence against black people.
The British Guardian newspaper recently calculated the number of people in the United States killed by law enforcement officials - in 2015 that reached a record level of 1134 young black men and the statistics showed that they were nine times more likely to be victims than the average American and five times more likely than young white men. ( The Guardian 31 December 2015 ).
You can find out more about the goals of "Black Lives Matter" and also about out how to help through their website -
