By Sam Skopp
On Tuesday, September 20, Keith Lamont Scott was fatally shot by a member of the Charlotte, North Carolina Police Department. On Friday, a video of the shooting was released and circulated on social media. Following the shooting, supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement have organized protests and rallies around the country, most notably in Scott’s home town of Charlotte, which has been the site of days-long protests, that continued through the weekend.
Last Saturday, a Black Lives Matter rally was held in Beverly Hills, starting at Roxbury Park on Olympic Boulevard, and continuing for three miles to the Beverly Hills Police Department on Santa Monica Boulevard. The rally was organized by local activist Sennett Devermont, who found participants through word of mouth and on social media.
“It’s I think our duty to continue to come together and to not be quiet about this and to stand up against this police injustice. I wanna say that I’m not anti-cop, I’m anti-bad cop. I think that the police do do justice for us. I’m grateful that the police suit up. They’re there if our cars are stolen or our houses are broken into,” said Devermont.
Police were present as soon as participants began to gather at Roxbury Park, and followed the rally from a safe distance.
Ralliers carried signs with slogans promoting the importance of black lives, and asking if lives of African Americans were any less valuable than participants of other races The group, which was about a couple dozen strong, received supportive honks from cars passing by as they changed “hands up, don’t shoot,” which originated following the August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, and “no justice, no peace, no racist police.”
Devermont previously organized a rally in support of Black Lives Matter earlier this year on June 9, after the death of Philando Castile.
“We need to make sure that there’s checks and balances. That these police aren’t over-abusing their authority. With that, I wanna have a meaningful peaceful rally to the Beverly Hills police department,” said Devermont.
For more information about the Black Lives Matter movement, visit blacklivesmatter.com.
