Protests against police brutality were held Wednesday in Ferguson, Missouri, and more than 80 other cities across the country. New York City residents joined the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation.

Danette Chavis: “My name is Danette Chavis. I’m the mother of Gregory Chavis, who lost his life at the hands of NYPD in October 2004. I am convinced that nothing will change concerning this action until it is brought to the highest levels in government. We need nationwide action. We need the U.S. attorney general of the Department of Justice to deal with the issue of police brutality once and for all. Thousands of people are being murdered whose cases we know nothing about because they don’t have the ability to have their tragedy highlighted in the media.”