North Charleston City Hall rally demands ‘Justice for Walter Scott’
.JPG "S.C. House Rep. Wendell Gilliard speaks to organizers at a rally for Walter Scott. Organizers from various activist groups planned rallies and demonstrations in the wake of the shooting death of Walter Scott by a North Charleston police officer.")
Nearly 100 people gathered outside of North Charleston City Hall for a candle light vigil Wednesday evening, a day after a video surfaced depicting a white North Charleston police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man after a traffic stop Saturday afternoon.
The demonstrators came from various groups but carried the same message: Justice for Walter Scott.
Scott, 50, was shot by 33-year-old Patrolman 1st Class Michael Thomas Slager after Slager pulled Scott over for a traffic violation. An amateur video, that went viral following the incident, showed Slager firing eight shots at Scott as he attempted to run away.
“I came here to show support the family of Walter Scott and all of the other black lives that died because of police brutality,” 21-year-old Jeremy Johnson said. “(They) are supposed to serve and protect, not hurt and neglect.”
Following the release of the video, State Law Enforcement Division officials arrested Slager and charged him with murder in connection to the shooting. Slager originally stated that he was forced to shoot Scott after Scott reached for the officer’s taser, but the video recorded by a passerby contradicted that account.
S.C. Rep. Wendell Gilliard, of Charleston urged the multiracial crowd gathered for the rally to follow the example of the citizens of Ferguson, Missouri. .
“If Mr. Scott’s life meant anything to you, then you should do what they just did in Ferguson,” Gilliard said regarding the recent elections of two black city council members on April 7. “Young people organized, they created dialogue and they got with their elders. Their elders asked them to do three things to get committed, get involved and get engaged.”
Gilliard’s statements were met with a round of applause as well as “free-verse” speeches from several local artists. The rally participants then passed around candles which they lit ceremoniously together.
Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon attended the rally to offer his support for the Scott family.
“Law enforcement around the country have been struggling to change strategies to address the relationship with communities and protect them at the same time,” Cannon said.
Muhiyidin D’baha , the rally’s main spokesman, said if Slager and other police officer’s were to live in the communities they patrol, they would be less inclined to pull the trigger on a suspect.
Reach Cahill at (803) 771-8305.
This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 1:13 AM with the headline "North Charleston City Hall rally demands ‘Justice for Walter Scott’."