Carrying posters bearing the phrases “Black lives matter” and “We can’t breathe,” as well as the Dartmouth-specific “Where are our black profs,” roughly 150 students participated in a protest on Friday afternoon in response to recent events in Baltimore.
Officially titled “March in Solidarity withBaltimoreUprising and in Protest of Dartmouth's Willful Ignorance: Let's fight police brutality and complicity/complacency at Dartmouth,” the demonstration was advertised by several campus groups on Thursday and Friday. The participants gathered in front of Filene Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. before passing by Baker-Berry Library and Dartmouth Hall. They continued down Main Street, then Lebanon Street toward Hanover High School before returning to campus.
While marching, the demonstrators chanted, “Black lives matter," and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, these racist cops have got to go,” among other phrases. The march elicited honks from passing cars and caught the attention of pedestrians.
Demonstrators have been protesting in Baltimore since late last month in response to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American who died in police custody due to spinal cord injuries a week after his arrest, according to The Wall Street Journal. On Friday, Baltimore prosecutors ruled his death a homicide, and charges were issued against six officers involved in the case, the Journal reported.
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity has organized a discussion on the events in Baltimore, which will be held on Monday at 4 p.m.
Correction appended: May 2, 2015
In theoriginal version of this article, the chant"Hey, hey, ho, ho, these racist cops have got to go"was incorrectlywritten as"these killing cops have got to go." The Dartmouth regrets this error.
