Dozens of protestors marched on the Idaho Capitol in Boise on Saturday afternoon, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
They chanted down the center of Capitol Boulevard, carrying signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “He Complied But He Still Died,” referring to the police-related shootings of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Virginia Farr, who is white, attended with her three black daughters.
"People are dying, even when they’re complying, even when they’re trying to do what the police want, and so it’s time to speak out and say 'No,' we have to value black lives, as much as white lives," Farr says.
She wasn’t involved in the Black Lives Matter movement until the deaths of the two men last week. Farr says Thursday’s ambush of police officers in Dallas also struck a chord.
"We don’t support violence on any part. And just because we’re pro-Black Lives Matter, doesn’t mean we’re against the police," says Farr. "It’s wrong to kill."
Eve Garden was one of the people who organized the protest in just two days. She says it was directed as much to communities outside the state, as here inside Idaho.
"We’re here to maintain and build and maintain safety in the community and to stand in solidarity with communities who are currently experiencing murders from law enforcement among people of color," Garden says.
The march ended with a rally at Julia Davis Park.
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