LIVE: Indict the System – Justice for Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo (4/17 @ 3pm ET)

Live coverage (4/17 @ 3pm ET) from Philly Socialist Alternative’s call for justice, reporting directly from City Hall and the streets of Philadelphia.

“Philly demands justice for Daunte Wright! The establishment in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and nationally continue to promise police reform, but police violence has not stopped. Daunte Wright was stopped by police for no reason, and then shot and killed also for no clear reason.

Socialist Alternative stands in solidarity with the movement demanding justice for Daunte Wright and for the end of police brutality and systemic racism. Routine traffic stops should never be a death sentence. This brutal murder, coinciding with the trial of Derek Chauvin, comes at a time when Minneapolis is still fighting for justice for George Floyd.

A few hundred gathered at the scene of the murder, where Daunte’s mother spoke to the crowd. After brief confrontations with police, the community successfully forced the police out of the area and a peaceful vigil was held. When the group marched to the Brooklyn Center police precinct, they were met with the violence of flash-bangs, tear gas, and rubber bullets. This just like the police violence Philly protesters met this past summer during the Black Lives Matter protests, highlighting the continued role of police in repressing protestors.

Last summer, working-class youth of color led mass protests nationally, after the murder of George Floyd. Without that movement, Chauvin might not be on trial now. The Minneapolis establishment backed away from their promises of reform which only left the space open for another senseless murder. We can have no trust in our elected officials to win justice for Daunte Wright. In Philadelphia, the police continue to have a bloated budget while essential services are cut. To sustain the struggle and win justice for all victims of police violence, we need an organized multi-racial working class movement.

Indict the officer immediately. We need a community oversight board with real teeth, including the power to fire any officer with a history of racism or violence. Defund the police by 50%, tax big corporations and the rich to fund housing, jobs, and education.”