RICHMOND, Va. -- "Hands up, don't shoot; no justice, no peace," they chanted, marching side by side.
Richmonders of all races and ages walked a few miles together, calling for justice in a case that's sparked national outrage.
"We're showing across the country right now- we have to stand up," said the organizer of the march, Jamil Jesey. "If we don't stand up for something- we don't stand up for anything."
Protests, some peaceful and other racially charged, have sparked across the nation after the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9. Brown was fatally shot by a police officer in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, after a confrontation. Accounts of exactly what happened when Officer Darren Wilson stopped Brown vary widely.
The decision by police to release video surveillance of Brown allegedly robbing a convenience store just moments before the shooting sparked even more protests and looting, with anger days before that the police officer was not named until five days after the death.
Richmond demonstrators say the events leading to the fatal shooting death are part of a much larger problem across America.
"I’m here to protest this police brutality that has been happening all over the country recently," said Ellen Notch.
"I have also been a victim of police brutality, even right here in Richmond going to a peaceful protests so I’ve experienced it first-hand," said Fred Hammill.
Sunday’s rally and march was peaceful as protestors walked past Richmond’s police headquarters, with the assistance of local police.
The event was quite a different scene when compared to the looting and clashing between protesters, and officials in Ferguson,Missouri.
"It could have been handled in a different way, it's a tragedy," Jesey.
