'Justice for Ricky Bodden'
Friends, neighbors, community leaders and supporters came
out 200 strong on March 27 for a rally and march to Suffolk
County District Attorney Ralph Martin's office to demand
justice for Ricky Bodden.
Bodden was shot in the back of the neck by a Boston
municipal cop on Dec. 27, 2000. The protest came on the
three-month anniversary of the killing. The marchers heard
from Bodden's sister, Carol Bodden, City Councilor Chuck
Turner, and Terry Marshall, organizer for Streets is
Watching, a grassroots community organization in the African
American community.
After the initial rally at Park Street Station in downtown
Boston, the march proceeded through the busy downtown
shopping district to the district attorney's office, where
Carol Bodden brought a letter demanding an inquest and the
release of police reports and the coroner's report in the
case.
The Call for Justice campaign is also demanding a civilian
review board, prosecution of the cop and an apology. A
dynamic young woman from Teen Empowerment chaired the rally
in front of the DA's office and led the crowd in singing Bob
Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up." A dynamic talk on the effects of
police brutality on African American women cited the cases of
Eleanor Bumpurs, Tawana Brawley and Assata Shakur. The rally
also included moving testimony from family members of other
current victims of violence and mistreatment by the prison
system. --Frank Neisser
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