Today I walked in solidarity with fellow and dear comrades, in the streets of Nubian Square, Boston, to rally for support and defense of black lives in America, Massachusetts, and Boston, to demand an end to no knock warrants and raids in Massachusetts, for fair and equitable treatment of black people by the police, and for full transparency and accountability.

Among the speakers were community leaders and organizers, and family members of victims of police violence. I knew most of the people present. There's a feeling of trust, familiarity and mutuality here. This was not a large crowd like some of the previous protests in Nubian Sq & Boston. It was small enough to be intimate, yet still large enough to make an impact and get the messages out. My guess is that there were around 40 something people.

Displayed, and carried in the march from Nubian Sq to the Boston Police Department headquarters were large photographs of several most recent black Americans killed by police, including Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on February 2, 2022, by a SWAT officer of the Minneapolis Police Department inside an apartment in Minneapolis, Minnesota where police were executing a no-knock warrant in a homicide investigation. The shooting is under review by the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the Hennepin County attorney's office, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey imposed a moratorium on most no-knock warrants on February 4. Amir has no criminal history, and was not the intended target. The police broke into the wrong apartment and executed Amir seconds after storming in with guns drawn and flash lights shining. Organizers and activists across the nation are demanding an end to no knock warrants.

Another photo at the rally was of Anthony Harden, who was killed by a female police officer who shot him twice in the chest.. Anthony Harden's sister Carola Harden & brother Carl Harden were there to share their story. Their family, friends, loved ones, & community members deserve full transparency and accountability.

All photographs are copyright © protected. & owned by Lita Xú Líng Kelley & may not be used without explicit permission. Contact for use licensing or purchasing photograph(s)

Although it is a calm & peaceful rally, anger is expressed in some of the voices. It is righteous and justified anger. The fight for fair and equitable treatment of black people in America continues. The injustices suffered are many and the number of victims of police abuses is staggering. I still hear it in my mind, recollections of protesting there before, more than once, at these very same spots after George Floyd was murdered, chants of "not one more", and yet here many of us are again, once more taking to the streets in protest against injustice. Cops are still killing black people.

If you aren't angry you aren't paying attention

In the United States, more people are killed by police in a single year than three times the total amount of people killed in all other countries in the world combined. Overwhelmingly, the majority of those killed are black and brown. Naturally there are also white people killed by cops too, however, none of them were killed or treated poorly because they were white.

Arguing While Black

On a daily basis, black, brown, indigenous & people of color are not treated fairly & equitably by police officers in America. This was certainly true for Christopher Divens who was ran over by a police officer with a marked cruiser in Randolph, Ma. after a traffic accident that was not even Christopher's fault. For over a year, while he was hospitalized with major injuries his motherJenelle Ambroise who also showed up at the Boston rally to speak , has been protesting and campaigning for Randolph police to release witness statements. Her truck is covered in signs to raise awareness of what happened to her son, most notably "Google Arguing While Black".

Freedom Fighters

"We don't need more allies. We need freedom fighters" -- Monica Cannon Grant.

Watch the video & listen.

I'm not a writer. I am a photographer. I find writing to be difficult, yet I am compelled to write anyway, because the messages are important, and they need to be heard, so please watch the video below to learn more about the event and listen to all the speakers.

Share this post with your friends and followers on social media by clicking the icons below