On March 28 in Monterey, about 75 people joined a broad coalition of activists in a rally and march starting at the Monterey Wharf to protest white supremacist police brutality in Salinas and nationwide. Thirty protesters marched to Highway One, blocked all four southbound lanes, and closed the highway for 45 minutes. Eight people in total were arrested.

The action was organized in the context of the killing of five unarmed Latino men since March 2014 by white Salinas police officers: March 20, Angel Ruiz, age 42; May 9, Osman Hernandez, 26; May 20, Carlos Mejia, 44; July 10, Frank Alvarado, Jr., 39; and October 31, Jaime Garcia, 35.

The rally started with a statement from the Black Brown Coalition: “We have been inspired by the growing movement which has taken the name Black Lives Matter, a phrase and concept created by three black womyn activists and organizers, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi to counter anti-Black oppression in the form of police/vigilante killings and mass incarceration. We understand that police and prisons are the modern expression and continuation of anti-Black oppression in the United States, which began with slavery, continued through Jim Crow and Segregation, and which now manifests in the current 'Criminal Justice Syste'. Slavery and it’s legacy, along with the theft and colonization of indigenous lands, is the foundation of the system of White Supremacy which extends into other forms that target other People of Color here and in other parts of the world through deportations, militarized borders, drone strikes, bombing, and military occupations. This is why we have decided to extend our declaration to include Brown Lives."

Read More with Photos | Eight Arrested in Black and Brown Lives Matter Rally and March, Monterey, CA 3-28-15

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