KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A group of protesters gathered in downtown Kalamazoo Monday evening in response to a man who was fatally shot by a police officer in a Minneapolis suburb. The officer says they accidentally grabbed their taser instead of their gun during a traffic stop on Sunday. It left 20-year-old Daunte Wright dead and has sparked unrest and some violence.
The Kalamazoo gathering, which remained peaceful, was held outside the county administration building. WOOD-TV spoke to protest organizer Quinton Bryant, who said they want to ensure local officers are prepared to avoid incidents like the one in Minnesota.
“We live in the community, and we need to know that our leaders are working so that nothing like this, of this magnitude, happens here in Kalamazoo.”
Chief of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Vernon Coakley along with Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson met with the protest organizers. Coakley denounced the actions of the Minnesota officer but commended their department for being transparent afterward. Mayor Anderson thanked protest organizers for continuing this conversation in Kalamazoo.
Protest organizers say their efforts were not against police in general but rather focused specifically on police brutality.
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