Photos: Branford's Youth-Led Equal Justice Protest March

BRANFORD, CT — Around 100 mostly young people gather at Branford High School for an equal justice rally, and march, in support of Black Lives Matter. Organized by SAFER Branford and CT Against Brutality, the event began with speakers at the high school on Ivy Lane. Then, attendees marched through downtown to the Branford Police Department.

As was explained by SAFER Branford and CT Against Brutality, the event was a "grassroots" effort: "The nature of this event and of our work is to collect as a community for change. We are by the people and for the people. This means that our work is centered around serving and amplifying those in our community whose voices have been marginalized. At this protest, we are focused on reserving space for Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) voices within our community."

Among its calls is to defund the police and explained what that means:

"A common misconception of police defunding is that it simply means cutting the town's yearly police budget and leaving no system to protect community wellness. Rather, it means reallocating a portion of the current $7 million police budget towards social service programs and accessible resources in Branford, including those within our public school system. This shift in funds is an investment in strong mental health support, affordable housing, food security, and high-quality public education to help all community members particularly those who have been marginalized."

Here are Patch photos from the Sunday march