Thousands of demonstrators were expected for a "Justice for All" march today in the nation's capital to protest decisions in Missouri and New York not to indict police officers involved in the deaths of two black men.
The Rev, Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the NAACP and the National Urban League were to start at noon at Freedom Plaza and march to the U.S. Capitol, where they will hold a rally featuring the families of several African Americans who were killed in confrontations with police.
Dante Gabovuel, 20, a native of Chicago who is attending Emory University in Atlanta, was among those gathered early for the march.
"My generation has reached either a tipping point or a breaking point," Gabovuel told NPR's Hansi Lo Wang. "The violence has become very visible."
He said now racism is "bubbling back to the surface where you have basically public lynchings on video with no repercussions.
"We are not going to take this anymore," he said.
The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the choking death of Eric Garner by police officers in New York and the fatal police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland in recent months have fueled anger among people who see different police standards for how suspects are treated, according to their race.
The Washingtion Post reports that organizers said buses would be arriving from New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, North Carolina, Florida and elsewhere.
"[P]articipants include clergy and labor representatives."But some younger activists who have been disenchanted by Sharpton and the traditional black leadership are not planning to attend. Moreover, many of them will be participating in a 'National Day of Resistance' also planned for Saturday. "Organizers of that protest, not surprisingly, are using more confrontational language that appears to be in stark contrast to the National Action Network's call for legislative action."
A website for the group organizing the Day of Resistance says:
"What started as an urban revolt of young black people in Ferguson, MO has grown into a national movement for Black lives. "The entire nation is awakening to the reality of our broken criminal justice system. We cannot stop or slow down now. This Saturday, we're taking it to the next level."
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