No Christmas Eve as Usual in Wake of Police Killing of Antonio Martin
December 25, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a reader:
Photos from the vigils in Berkeley, Missouri, December 25, 2014, at the spot where Antonio Martin was gunned down 19 hours earlier by police. All photos: Special to revcom.us/Revolution
People gathered for a Christmas Eve vigil at the spot where Antonio Martin was gunned down 19 hours earlier by a cop in Berkeley, Missouri, next door to Ferguson where Michael Brown was murdered by cop Darren Wilson in August. 50 people joined members of Antonio’s family to construct a memorial to honor Antionio’s life on the side of the gas station where he was murdered.
The Mobil gas station was the scene of a powerful outpouring of rage the night before. Within a couple hours of Antonio’s murder, 300 people, including many defiant youth from the surrounding neighborhoods, had rushed to the scene and clashed with riot police.
After the vigil and memorial building had concluded, protesters hit the streets and marched to Highway 170, bringing holiday traffic to a halt on the southbound lanes. The march exited 170 and then shut down major streets in Berkeley. People condemned the continuing police murders in St. Louis and around the country, chanting “We can’t breathe!” and “Who shuts shit down? We shut shit down!” Protesters challenged backed-up motorists to forget about the holiday inconvenience and get out in the streets.
Demonstrators returned to the gas station, where confrontations broke out between protesters and the lines of riot police. Authorities mobilized County Police and Missouri Highway Patrol, as well as police from nearby towns. Several protesters were arrested and others were maced. Not only youth but older people from the neighborhood came out and were on the scene. One older man spoke with pride about how youth he knew stood up to righteously and militantly to the police the night before.
Later that evening, 75 people held a Christmas Eve vigil at a prominent cathedral in St. Louis. This began at 11 p.m., marking 24 hours from the time when Antonio was gunned down. Up the steps at the church doors stood a line of riot cops, and riot cops also lined the sidewalk where people passed by to come to the vigil. People sang and spoke out. One young man explained he came right from a Christmas Eve gathering at home, pointing out the pajamas he was wearing. He read a list of people murdered by police in the U.S. in 2014.
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