Over 80 people marched in New Haven, Conn., on Oct. 23 to protest police brutality in the community. The march started with a rally at City Hall and proceeded through downtown, ending at the Police Department.
Marchers demanded an immediate end to police brutality; the right to document police behavior without intimidation; and a completely independent Citizen’s Review Board that is representative of the communities in New Haven and able to discipline officers who commit crimes.
The march was called by the October 22nd Coalition after a number of incidents were reported to member groups, including an Oct. 2 incident at Elevate, a downtown club, during which the NHPD, some in full SWAT gear, raided a party for Yale students. Students attempting to record the police on their phones were arrested. One student was thrown on the ground and tazed. In a video circulated on YouTube, an officer is seen standing over the student’s body yelling “Anybody else? Who’s next?”
The Elevate incident proved to be the match that lit the powder keg. Due to the privilege afforded Yale by city institutions, the raid gained front page media attention. Groups across the city, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, My Brother’s Keeper, Unidad Latina en Acción, Cop Watch New Haven, Citizens for Policing Reform, and the Yale and New Haven NAACP came together to use the spotlight on the police to publicize cases of police brutality, harassment and intimidation common in the most oppressed neighborhoods of the city.
As the march proceeded away from City Hall, the chant “From the Hill to the Ville to City Hall, police brutality affects us all,” could be heard throughout the downtown area, referring to neighborhoods of The Hill and Newhallville. People waiting for the bus joined the chants and celebrated the march.
On the steps of the police department, rally chair Marco Castillo said, “Today is the beginning of the end for brutality. Today is the beginning of unity.” Victims of police harassment shared their powerful stories during the rally, some for the first time.
Addressing the crowd on the City Hall steps, civil rights attorney Michael Jefferson said, “Get angry. Stay angry. Keep up the fight. Keep your eyes on the prize.”
The PSL stands in solidarity with all victims of police brutality and those who are struggling against oppressive and brutal police forces. In New Haven, further actions are already being planned.
