Die in planned by protesters at 7 p.m. after Eagles game
Staging a "die in" to highlight perceived racial injustices by police against black people, protestors planned to lie in the streets near Lincoln Financial Field after the Philadelphia Eagles game Sunday.
Staging a "die in" to highlight perceived racial injustices by police against black people, protestors planned to lie in the streets near Lincoln Financial Field after the Philadelphia Eagles game Sunday.
Led by a group of clergy and lay people called POWER (Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild), the event is an example of "people of faith [stepping] into the public sphere in powerful ways," according to a POWER statement.
The protestors planned to gather at 7 p.m. at the northeast corner of Broad St. and Pattison Ave. to lie in the street for four and one-half minutes to symbolize the four and one-half hours that the body of Michael Brown, 18, lay in the street on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo.
Brown was killed by Police Officer Darren Wilson. Months later, a grand jury declined to indict Wilson, sparking protests nationwide.
Similar "die-ins" have been held in various places throughout the country, including at the University of Pennsylvania Law School last week.
On its website, POWER describes itself as an organization of clergy and lay people from 40 congregations around Philadelphia.
A Philadelphia Police spokeswoman said Sunday afternoon that they were aware of the planned demonstrations, adding that the department "will ensure that people can express their 1st Amendment right in a peaceful and respectful manner."
She added police planned to "protect property and minimize the disruption to those in attendance at today's game."
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