A Westlake Park vigil over two fatal police shootings in the past week moved from the park to downtown streets, as more than 1,000 people attended to condemn the shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.
More than 1,000 people came to the scheduled vigil, which started off with a call for peace by Teri Rogers Kemp, co-director of Not This Time.
Organizers included Not This Time’s co-director Andre Taylor, whose brother Che Taylor died after being shot by police earlier this year. Organizers tried to keep the vigil within Westlake Park, but protesters wanted to march, saying that the speakers at the rally did not say enough to criticize police, according to KIRO TV.
Castile, 32, was shot July 6 during a traffic stop in Minnesota, and his fiancee broadcast the aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook. Castile’s death came one day after the death of Sterling, 37, who was shot by a Baton Rouge police officer. Several videos have emerged of Sterling’s shooting.
Seattle’s rally was one of many that was organized throughout the nation Wednesday night. In Dallas, as a peaceful rally was coming to an end, Dallas police came under an ambush attack, which was denounced by Dallas rally organizers. Five officers died in that ambush.
