WKSU News: Protesters mark MLK Day in Cleveland with calls for police reform

Monday, January 18, 2016 Protesters mark MLK Day in Cleveland with calls for police reform Organizer says cold weather kept numbers smaller than expected Story by BRIAN BULL

The Tamir Rice shooting and other issues with Cleveland police brought out a small group of protesters today.

Courtesy of Still from video of Cudell Recreation Center

In downtown Cleveland, a group of roughly 30 protesters gathered in the minus-6 wind chill afternoon to mark Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and make the point that there’s more work to be done.

Organizers had hoped that 70 to 100 people would show on the steps of the Justice Center, but low temperatures and cutting winds nearing 30 mph seem to have affected turnout, according to Pat Mahoney. He’s with the Justice League, a coalition of student organizations at Cleveland State University that works on progressive causes.

LISTEN: Mahoney on continuing protests

Other options:

MP3 Download (0:24)

“It’s cold out here, but I think we’re all kind of upset and angry, and that’s kind of the fire that’s keeping us here. Basically we’re looking at a justice system which is broken -- refuses to kind of fight back against injustices that are committed by the Cleveland Division of Police.”

Mahoney says the lack of indictments in the Tamir Rice case, the mass chase and shooting of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, and other recent examples of African-Americans dying in confrontations with city police demonstrate that more needs to be said and done.

The group marched to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and other sections of downtown Cleveland.