Terrence Sterling remembered at predawn torchlight rally,rush hour blockade of NY Ave
Update 9-27: Protesters block NY ave 2nd day in row early afternoon, march on police HQ.
Beginning at 4AM on Sep 26, Black Lives Matter activists gathered at 3rd and M st to remember Terrence Sterling, shot off of his motorcycle by DC Police at 4:20AM on Sep 11, 2016. Demands at the rally included releasing all video from the shooting plus the names and addresses of the officers involved. A further demand was that the DC police be disarmed, their guns be taken away.As morning rush hour reached its peak the group marched onto NY Ave and shut it down with a curb to curb blockade
At one point the blockade transformed into a two minute die-in, still blocking NY Ave. After protesters returned to their feet, police read a claim over their "riot horn" that emergency vehicles needed to use NY Ave but this is a stock message and the only emergency vehicles to be seen were police cars. Blocking them is considered a benefit, not collateral damage. In at least one instance such a claim has been used by a police deparment to get protesters to move enough to get more police vehicles to the protest. Protesters did move off the road to avoid arrest, but plan to return at 1PM on Tuesday, Sep 27. Before they left the area a Black Lives Matter banner was dropped over I-395. Perhaps police murdering Terrence Stirling on Sep 11 gives new meaning to the demand "Stop Police Terrorism."
Shortly before Terrence Stirling was shot, police chasing him for "riding erratically" on a motorcycle (and nothing more) were told by dispatch to "stand down" and discontinue the chase. Instead a cop rolled down his window and opened fire in what protesters said can only be called a drive-by shooting.
Until police and Mayor Bowser meet protesters demands concerning Terrence Stirling, it looks like highways near 3ed and M sts are going to be a bad place to drive a Lexus en route to a $250,000 a year job in a GOP lobbying firm on K st.
Blocking NY Ave in memory of Terrence Stirling
Two torches shed a little extra light on the situation
Remembering Terrence Sterling, killed at 4:20AM on Sep 11 in this very location.
Die-in on NY Ave
Banner dropped across I-395 after protesters had departed NY Ave and marched onto the sidewalk of this bridge
Blocking NY Ave for the 2nd day in a row before marching on DC Police headquarters
