“Things have been pretty smooth up until this,” Pinto said on Tuesday while participating in the march.
Pinto explained that the group of approximately 50 marchers reached Pennsylvania in the second day of the march. The marchers have been resting at churches and community centers along the way.
The group hopes to continue to march for another week until it reaches Washington DC, where a rally is scheduled for April 21. Pinto noted the marchers will call on lawmakers to adapt new laws to end racial profiling and police brutality.
“Our main objective is really to address the lack of police accountability and stir a national outcry,” Pinto said. “Unfortunately, no one has stepped up to the plate to resolve these issues, so our main focus is to just draw some attention and really hope to get some legislation passed.”
Among the group’s demands is the immediate firing of New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who killed US Citizen Eric Garner by putting him in a lethal chokehold, sparking nation-wide protests.
The group’s other demands include a US Federal Investigation into Garner’s death, a comprehensive New York Police Department training program and new legislation to clarify rules for using lethal force by police officers.
The Justice League NYC is a task force of juvenile and criminal justice advocates, artists and experts as well as formerly incarcerated US individuals that coordinate efforts in and around New York City in response to the non-indictment of Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, according to the task force’s website.
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