Protest/March
5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13
Corner of Larabee St. and Division St. (600 W. Division)

Cabrini Green residents, supporters to march for justice in police murder of Michael Walker

Cop killing of 21-year-old has sparked community outrage, police repression.

CHICAGO: Cabrini Green residents and their supporters will continue their battle to win justice for police murder victim Michael Walker with a march on Wednesday evening, beginning at 5:30 p.m., at the corner of Larabee St. and Division St. (600 W. Division).

The police killing of 21-year-old Michael Walker on Sunday morning, October 27, has sparked widespread community outrage. Police say Walker was selling drugs, there was a “scuffle” with police, and an officer “accidentally” shot Walker in the face. Family members and friends charge that Walker's killing was no accident, and that his murder is part of a broad pattern of unjust sweeps, beatings and an aggressive police “lockdown” that has been deployed in the neighborhood as the City of Chicago presses ahead with their plan to gut public housing in the area.

Neighborhood residents have already held two marches in the community – on October 30 and November 3. Each drew more than 200 participants, and the November 3 march included activists from the Green Party, the Direct Action Network, the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, two separate groupings of Black Panthers and Fred Hampton Jr.

Police have worked aggressively to intimidate Cabrini residents and to shut down the movement for justice and against police brutality. During the November 3 march, police occupied buildings in the William Green Homes complex at the north end of Cabrini Green and threatened residents in an attempt to keep them from joining the march. After both the November 3 and October 30 march, police beat youth who had participated in the protests. Undercover police are also alleged to have threatened people who witnessed Walker’s murder.

In the face of this, Wednesday’s march will include demands to end police interference in the struggle for justice, to end retaliation against the community, and to end intimidation of witnesses. Marches up to now have called for justice for Walker, an end to the regular practices of police brutality which residents of Cabrini Green suffer – and for authorities to jail the cop that murdered Walker.

Wednesday's protest is being organized by the Michael Walker Justice Committee.

/30/