The Anchorage NAACP is hosting a peaceful rally on Saturday in memory of two unarmed African-American men who were killed by police in the lower 48 over the summer. NAACP President Wanda Laws says Alaskans need to be part of the national dialogue about race relations and police actions.
“We’re not immune to that. We hope that it never happens here, but we need to recognize that there needs to be a national conversation. There are people who are frightened and also we need to raise awareness that there needs to be more communication, more understanding, and actually more community involvement.”
Laws says she thinks communication between the local police force and minorities is good in Anchorage. But she says continued open communication is necessary to maintain trust within the community and prevent tragedies.
The rally will start at 2 pm on Saturday in downtown Anchorage on 3rd and Cordova. The group is memorializing two men. Eric Garner was put in a chokehold by a police officer in New York City in July and died. Mike Brown was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Neither officer was indicted by grand juries. People nationwide are protesting the actions and the lack of indictments.
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her atahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annehere.
