M. Bilal Kenasari
WASHINGTON
A speech by the U.S. Attorney General was interrupted Monday by protesters demanding a more equitable justice system.
Chants of "No justice, no peace" and "It is our duty to fight” were heard just moments into Eric Holder’s remarks at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the home of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
Security officials quickly escorted the protesters out of the auditorium.
Holder responded to the calls by saying, "What we saw there was a genuine expression of concern and involvement. And it is through that level of involvement, that level of concern and I hope a level of perseverance and commitment that change ultimately will come. And so let me be clear, I ain't mad at you, all right?"
The attorney general went to say that federal probes into law enforcement practices in Ferguson, Missouri, are ongoing in the wake of a grand jury’s decision there last week not to indict a white police officer for killing an unarmed black teen.
His speech came soon after President Barack Obama vowed to use his remaining time in office to address the "simmering distrust" between "police departments and too many communities of color."
Holder, who in September announced his plans to retire, said he will soon lay out Justice Department guidelines “regarding profiling by federal law enforcement, which will institute rigorous new standards to help end racial profiling, once and for all.”
Earlier Monday, demonstrators gathered in front of the Justice Department in Washington, as part of nationwide strikes, and asked workers to walk out of their jobs and schools.
The UN Committee against Torture recently urged U.S. authorities to investigate police brutality and excessive use of force involved in the shootings of unarmed civilians belonging to certain racial and ethnic groups
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