Thursday night’s vigil and protest for Kimani Gray, the 16-year-old killed by police last weekend after allegedly pointing a loaded gun at plainclothes officers, was a relatively quiet and peaceful affair. Protests have been going on for four consecutive evenings, including one at which people looted and dismantled a local Rite Aid and another at which police arrested over 40 people for disorderly conduct.
According to the Brooklyn Paper, though police appeared to outnumber protesters, no arrests were made last night. DNAinfo reports that two factions within the group–one led by Councilman Jumaane Williams and the other by End Stop and Frisk founder Jose La Salle–argued about whether the assembled people should move towards a church and become “more of a community forum about Gray,” or continue towards the 67th Precinct stationhouse and rally.
East Flatbush business owner Amnon Ambalo said that though the unrest frightened him, the police presence was the main problem in the area. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of cops in the area the past few days,” he said. “I think that’s really what’s scaring people off more than anything. I mean, talk about making people feel uncomfortable in their own neighborhood…. It’s affecting everybody in every way.”
(Photo: ChrissyCole/Twitter)
