Do you feel strongly about the deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner? If so, you would have enjoyed being part of the mass of people gathered in Washington, DC on December 13th to rally against police violence.

Thousands of people gathered in DC to protest against police violence, especially violence against black men, at around 11a.m. The issues that galvanized this crowd were the deaths of Eric Garner, who was choked to death by police, and Mike Brown, who was shot 9 times in various parts of the body by a police officer.

The crowd of people chanted, “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace. No racist police,” as they marched down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol. Signs reading “Black Lives Matter” were pumped into the air. The protest began at the opposite end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. People showed their support for the families of the brutalized victims despite the cold temperature.

The crowd represented many different races and backgrounds as people of all races – black, white, Asian, Hispanic – all gathered as one. When the huge crowd reached the end of Pennsylvania Avenue, families of the victims gave speeches. They boosted the crowd to chant louder and stand out in the cold for 2 hours. The protesters left the front of the Capitol at approximately 2 p.m. with those in attendance hoping that the 3 or more hours they spent in the cold would create some sort of change.