Pulaski Park in Northampton overflowed with hundreds of people Wednesday evening as they chanted, spoke, shared stories, made posters and performed music to raise awareness of police brutality and racial violence in the wake of police killings of black men and women in the United States.
The rally was hosted by Zac Louis, Faith Victoria, Sakiya Bisher-Nea, Gillian Lucero-Love and Jasmine Sinclair, who are active in various organizations and are united by a demand for police to be abolished, according to their statement.
The event was purposely held ahead of a vote by the Northampton City Council on the FY21 budget. Mayor David Narkewicz proposed a police budget last week of 0.28% less than the current year. Rally organizers are calling for a decrease of 50%.
This article has been updated.