Boston Braces For Protests In Response To Chauvin Trial, Police Shootings
BOSTON (CBS) - Bike racks stretch along the length of Tremont Street and around the façade of Boston Police Headquarters, in a show of protection. "Unfortunately we have the coming together of the trials in Minneapolis, and other incidents that are happening in different parts of the country," said former Boston Police Commissioner and WBZ security analyst Ed Davis. "When you see this overall community awareness and concern and activism, there's a potential for problems."
The Derek Chauvin murder case is moving closer toward a verdict. There are daily details emerging in the Brooklyn Center police shooting, and disturbing bodycam video was just released in the confrontation between Chicago police and a 13-year-old boy.
"To see this happen over and over again, for many of us, it makes you numb," said Reverend Willie Bodrick, II, Senior Pastor at the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury. "For many, it's triggering for previous experiences they may have had with law enforcement, or experiences they may have had with friends and family or colleagues. So a lot of times, there's a sense of PTSD."
Thursday night, demonstrators gathered at the Massachusetts State House for a peaceful rally against police brutality. Saturday, another protest is planned in Nubian Square.
Davis says for police in charge of security around protests, it's a delicate job. "That's their responsibility, but they're doing it in the context of the use of force being the very issue that people are concerned about, and that makes it extremely difficult," Davis said.
