Maria Hamilton, center, the mother of Dontre Hamilton, who was killed by a police officer in a downtown park in Milwaukee, speaks at the rally.(Photo: Jose Luis Magana, AP)
Mothers whose children have been killed by police officers marched in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to call attention to police brutality and racial injustice.
The Million Moms March was sponsored by Mothers for Justice United, an organization of mothers whose children have been killed by police officers and others, and the Coalition for Justice. The march moved from the U.S. Capitol to the U.S. Department of Justice, where demonstrators demanded changes in police practices.
Maria Hamilton founded Mothers for Justice United and helped organize the march of mothers and their supporters. Hamilton's 31-year-old son, Dontre Hamilton, was shot 14 times and killed by a former Milwaukee police officer.
"This is a call for everybody to wake up," Hamilton said as the march began Saturday afternoon. "We are here on behalf of our babies to tell the United States government that we aren't going anywhere. We aren't going to continue to keep burying our babies. Do something and do it now."
Hamilton said as moms walked through the streets they aimed to honor "stolen lives" in solidarity. "We will continue to lift our babies up," she said. "They live through each and every one of us. They are gone physically but we have our own personal angels now."
As demonstrators moved through the streets Saturday, some in the crowd shouted, "No justice. No compromise," and "Black lives matter."
Many of the mothers and other protesters held photos of young men and women killed by law enforcement officers. Others clutched bright yellow balloons, flowers and held hands.
Mothers for Justice United, which also includes family members, clergy and concerned citizens, is focused on halting the killing of unarmed people of color by police and vigilantes through direct action, legislation and community building, the group says.
Marion Gray-Hopkins, whose 19-year-old son Gary was killed by a police officer in Maryland in 1999, told NBC News she planned to participate.
"Enough is enough," Gray-Hopkins told the network. "We need to put about some changes in laws and practices that will stop the senseless killing of our unarmed children."
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