Thousands descend on Washington to demand ‘Justice for All’

They chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot!” and “No justice, no peace!” They held signs with slogans reading “Black Lives Matter.” Some sang old African American spirituals.

And they marched.

{mosads}Tens of thousands of protesters from around the country converged on Washington Saturday, angered by the recent police killings of unarmed black men, Eric Garner in Staten Island and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and the decisions by state grand juries not to indict the white officers involved.

Demonstrators called on Congress to hold hearings about the killings, do more to stop excessive use of police force and make it easier for Justice Department officials to investigate such deaths. Brown, 18, was fatally shot, while Garner, 43, died after an officer used a chokehold on him, an altercation that was caught on video.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and the families of both men led protesters down Pennsylvania Avenue, from Freedom Plaza near the White House to the base of Capitol Hill. Relatives of Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy who was recently fatally shot by police in a Cleveland park, also were on hand.

“Look at the masses: black, white, all races, all religions,” Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, said looking out over the sea of people at a rally after the march. “This is a great moment, this is a history-making moment. Our sons may not be here in body, but they are here in each and every one of you.”

Standing in front of the Capitol, Sharpton said Congress could no longer ignore the issue.

“We need national legislation and intervention to save us from state grand juries that say it’s alright to choke people even on tape and you wont bring them to court,” Sharpton said. “We didn’t shoot anybody. We didn’t choke anybody. We didn’t come to Washington as shooters and chokers.

“We came as the shot and the choked, asking you to help deal with American citizens who can’t breathe in their own communities,” Sharpton added.

The voice of Sharpton, a MSNBC host and longtime civil-rights activist, echoed off the Capitol building. And in a twist of fate, senators happened to be working in a rare weekend session, putting them within earshot of the demonstrations.

The “Justice For All March” was organized by Sharpton’s National Action Network and other civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union. It coincided with protests against police brutality across the country, but many wanted to make their voice heard in the nation’s capital.

“I identify with every single one of them [the victims],” said Ohio native Bishop Walker, 24, a Howard University student who was holding a sign that read “All I Want for Christmas is to Matter in America.” “It could be me. It could be my future son, my future daughter.

“I didn’t think after 300 years we would still be dealing with this.”

Rashad McCrorey, 35, protested on Thursday in New Jersey, on Friday in New York and on Saturday in D.C.

“Police brutality is a serious problem,” the Harlem resident said. “We have other problems such as the police correctional system, education system, so many others, but this is something we need to tackle right now.”

“I feel if you can’t be part of something, you fall for anything,” said Regina Posey, of Clinton, Md., who brought her two sons Aaron, 17, and Marcus, 12, to the march. “It’s not a black issue. It’s not a white issue. It’s a humanity issue.”

At one point during the march, demonstrators filled the entire one-mile stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue between Freedom Plaza and the Capitol. And they walked by the giant tablet on the front of the Newseum with the words from the First Amendment, including the right of citizens to peaceably assemble.

D.C. Metropolitan Police never provide crowd estimates of rallies, but said there were no disturbances by early Saturday afternoon.

“Everything’s been peaceful,” said officer Araz Alali.

The rally attracted throngs of reporters, photographers and television crews, including some international media. And while demonstrators were predominantly black, there were people of all races represented.

“This is our community, and this stuff matters,” said D.C. resident Jeanne Contardo, who is white and brought her two daughters, 5 and 2, to the rally. Her kindergartener, Audrey, is the only white student at her school east of the Anacostia River. “I look at her friends who in 10 years could be any of these kids being gunned down.

“If we don’t speak out, it means it’s OK.”

Members of Congress, including Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y), were among those who spoke out from the podium.

“This march is not against the police; it’s against unfair police brutality,” Maloney told the crowd. “It’s not against enforcing the law; it’s for observing that great promise — equal justice, impartial justice for all.”

This post was updated at 3:16 p.m.