Angry Community Marches on Oakland City Hall

Gary King’s parents at Oakland City Hall Sept 24, demanding justice for their son—murdered by an Oakland cop.
[Photo: Revolution]

At 4:30 pm, on Thursday, September 20, Gary King Jr. was murdered by an Oakland cop. Gary and his friends were walking out of a corner store on Martin Luther King Blvd in North Oakland. Sgt. Pat Gonzales was driving on the other side of the wide street. Gonzalez claims to have identified King as a “potential suspect” in a murder that had occurred nearby a month prior. According to interviews with youth at the scene, Gonzalez sped across six lanes of traffic, grabbed Gary by his hair, and tasered him. When Gary tried to run away, Gonzales shot Gary in the back.

In the days following the killing, Gary’s friends, family, and people from the community gathered at a shrine erected at the spot where Gary was shot down. Gary’s father courageously stood out on Martin Luther King Blvd at the spot where his son was murdered, telling everyone he could what happened, and challenging people on the spot to join him in fighting for justice for his son. Four days after the killing, on Monday, September 24, over 100 people joined Gary’s family to demand justice in a rally at Oakland City Hall.

Gary’s mother, Cathy King, told Revolution, “[Gary] was 20. He had his whole life ahead of him and now he doesn’t.” And she said, “I want the cop arrested for murder. I believe that man murdered my son in cold blood.”

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