Family of people shot and killed by Chicago police gathered outside the Chicago Police Department’s headquarters on November 5. Somewhere around fifty to a hundred people, including activists and city residents, participated in an evening demonstration for justice and accountability.

Specifically, the action took place on November 5 because 22-year-old Rekia Boyd would have been celebrating her birthday on November 5 had she not been killed by an off-duty police officer on March 21, 2012.

Boyd was out with her friends in Chicago when an off-duty police officer named Dante Servin stopped her and her friends while they were in North Lawndale’s Douglas Park on the west side. Servin told them to “keep the noise down.” The officer continued to exchange words with Boyd and her friends and then pulled out his gun and fired “at least five rounds at the group,” according to a recent report by a local grassroots group, We Charge Genocide (WCG).

One of the bullets hit the back of Boyd’s head and killed her. Servin later claimed one of her friends had a gun but he had been holding a cellphone. The City of Chicago settled with the Boyd family for $4.5 million.

Servin was actually charged with “involuntary manslaughter, reckless discharge of a firearm and reckless conduct” and is scheduled to go on trial in December. But the family has demanded that Servin’s manslaughter charge be raised to second-degree murder.

Boyd’s brother, Martinez Sutton, was at the protest. “My sister got shot behind the police officer’s house.” He said she was shot dead in the streets and was left lying in the streets about four blocks from the hospital.

When officers came to inform the family of what happened, Sutton said police told him, “Your sister’s been involved in a crime.” She was shot at 1:15 am. Police did not arrive to share this information around 10 am.

Police told the family she was in the hospital with a bullet in her head. “Here’s the number, here’s where you can see her, sorry.” And then, after she died, police sent back a purse that Sutton said was filled with her bloody hair that had been shaved off her head.

“What you trying to tell me? Is that a threat or something?” Sutton added.

“You know, it hurts so bad because the murderer of my sister is still walking on the streets. They tell me that they got enough evidence to lock this man up, to take him down, to take him off these streets, and you know what, he’s chilling at the crib with his family probably laughing at this damn news conference. If I was pointed out for a murder, I would be behind bars right now until I prove my innocence. But, if one of these officers take away one of our lives, they get a cushy job.”

Sutton later declared, “Stand up. It’s the time. All this violence got to stop. Not just for police violence but for violence all across this city. All this got to stop. All of it. It’s not just the police. We’ve got to get all these animals off.”

The family announced at the press conference that the trial for Servin was supposed to begin this week. He fired his lawyer. The trial has now been postponed, and he may not go on trial until next year.

The following were all present at the protest as well: the grandmothers of DeSean Pittman, a 17-year-old who was shot and killed by police on August 25, the mother of Dakota Bright, a 15-year-old who was shot and killed by police on November 8, 2012; the father of Flint Farmer, who was shot and killed by police on June 7, 2011; the mother of Ronald Johnson, a 25-year-old who was shot and killed by police on October 11.

Here is video of their remarks at the protest on November 5: