Rally Over Noor Verdict Calls For End To Police Violence

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The guilty verdict in Mohamed Noor's trial means something different to everyone rallying in downtown Minneapolis Wednesday afternoon.

But the Justice for Justine leaders say all voices matter, and they want everyone who has been touched by police violence to have their voices heard. They say there a lot more in common with these cases than there is different.

It's been nearly two years and the memorial for Justine Ruszczyk Damond is still evolving. The Justice for Justine activist group is doing the same.

Todd Schuman, a representative of the group, lives around the corner from where Justine was shot and killed.

"For us this trial has always been bigger than just one person, one trial. This case has spoken to a broader problem of police violence and police training in our society that needs to be addressed," he said.

Schuman says the group wants to see policing culture change, for there to be less adversarial training, and for there to be transparent investigations.

"When these instances do happen there needs to be someone held accountable for it, but it can't just be the one officer, it has to be the entire system," Schuman said.

Justice for Justine now joins groups such as Justice 4 Jamar, Justice Occupation for Philando and Black Lives Matter Minnesota. They're all groups that want fair and equal treatment for all people affected by police violence.

Schuman says the group is comforted by the guilty verdict but knows that this is only the start of the work that lies ahead.

"We're proud to stand with them today and to continue to lend our voice to the movement that they've been working on for decades," Schuman said. "We'll be there to support those communities and to make sure that they receive the same measure of justice that Justine did in this case."