SANTA ANA – Carrying signs reading “Santa Ana in Solidarity with Ferguson” and “Black Lives Matter,” about 100 demonstrators gathered Wednesday evening in downtown Santa Ana to honor Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year-old killed by a white Missouri police officer.
Crowds marched down Fourth, Main and First streets chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot!” as Santa Ana police officers blocked traffic.
The grand jury’s decision Monday not to indict Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson set off sometimes violent protests in the St. Louis suburb and around the country.
In Santa Ana, the demonstrators held a moment of silence for Brown at Sasscer Park before beginning their march.
About 30 people were still demonstrating around 8:30 p.m. Some were lying in the street at Ross and Fourth, but didn’t block traffic because police were aware of the protest in advance and closed the thoroughfare. No arrests were made, Santa Ana police said.
“It’s really disappointing and really frustrating to see what keeps happening to the black community and to our communities,” said Erika Martinez, 24.
“I can’t imagine the pain of all the families who have fallen victims to the vicious ways of the state. … All I can say is that we need to stick together and we need to continue to fight against it because it’s not right,” added Martinez, who is part of the group CoMMUn, which stands for Colectivo de Mujeres Migrantes Unidas.
The vigil and march were planned by the same organizers who held a rally last year in honor of Trayvon Martin, a Florida teen shot and killed in Sanford, Fla., in 2012. They are part of a collective known as Seeds of Resistance.
Register reporter Scott Schwebke contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: amolina@ocregister.com
