Brookline Black Lives Matter March Draws Hundreds To Amory Park

BROOKLINE, MA — Friday, Brookline’s main thoroughfare came to a standstill as hundreds of protesters marched for the Black Lives Matter movement from Cleveland Circle to Amory Park, where the masses took a knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

The youth-run march comes in the wake of the death of George Floyd last week after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. The death of Floyd sparked protests and rallies across the country, including several rallies across Boston that have brought out as many as 20,000 people.

"We march in Brookline not only to stand with those we have lost to police brutality, but to wake up a community that stays silent in the midst of injustice," organizers said in a statement.

In Brookline they came holding signs that read "Black lives matter," and "My country should be my safe space," and "White inaction is a violent act," throwing fists into the air they marched, gathering numbers from Cleveland Circle down Beacon Street.

Volunteers stopped traffic, as the crowd chanted "Hands up, don't shoot"

Once the crowd made it to Amory Park they took a knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, marking the amount of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck, leading to his death. Chauvin was later charged with third degree manslaughter and fired. Three other officers were also charged.

Organizers Lexi Harriman and Ashanti Syed both went to Brookline High School and took turns speaking. Former firefighter Gerald Alston and a number of others also spoke.

Here's a look at the event through the eyes of those who attended or saw it pass by them: