After yet another week of tragedy, AS220 Youth took the streets on July 9th with many other Providence organizations to share their unique perspective through their voice; more specifically through the use of hip hop lyrics. The youth spoke passionately and honestly about the realities of police violence in America. During the rally, they spoke about their anger, their fear and their hope for an open dialogue about the recent tragedies. While some media outlets attempted to paint this rally as an insensitive gathering of people who ignored the deaths of 5 Dallas police officers, AS220 Youth and many speakers at the event publicly acknowledged the loss of the officers and condemned senseless acts of violence. The Youth studio firmly believes that demanding justice does not equal anti-police. It equals anti-police brutality. It means valuing the lives of black and brown people in the with the same regard and dignity that is lent to non-black communities. Check out this RI Future article to see some of the photos and videos from the rally.

Photos courtesy of Steve Ahlquist / RI Future