No One Shows for Planned Protest Outside Draft Town

No one showed for a planned protest at Buckingham Fountain, near all the festivities surrounding the NFL Draft, in a show of solidarity for Rekia Boyd and the demonstrations in Baltimore.

Members of the former Occupy Chicago group, now known as Chicago Rising, planned to meet at 4 p.m. and maintain a visible presence through 9 p.m. No organized protest was ever observed.

Boyd, 22, was killed in March 2013 when off-duty Chicago police officer Dante Servin fired his weapon into a group of people. A frustrated Cook County judge earlier this month reluctantly found Servin not guilty of involuntary manslaughter charges.

Violent demonstrations erupted in Baltimore this week in connection with the death of Freddie Gray, who died of an undisclosed injury while in police custody. A peaceful rally and march was held in Chicago on Tuesday.

The demonstrators said they're protesting the militarization of police and injustices they say have claimed the lives of too many people of color.

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