A Wisconsin mother who lost a son in a police involved shooting is one of the main organizers of a planned Mother’s Day march on Washington, D.C. to call attention to black men killed by violence.
Maria Hamilton’s mentally ill son Dontre was killed last April, during an altercation with a Milwaukee police officer.
Hamilton said she’s not the only woman to have a child die at the hands of police or vigilantes, and hopes by banding together during a march on Washington, the group Mothers for Justice United can get the attention of key politicians and agencies like the U.S. Justice Department.
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“We want our leaders to acknowledge our pain and our hurt and do the right thing,” Hamilton said.
According to Hamilton, that means re-opening closed cases, investigating local police agencies and making sure the mentally ill are helped and not harassed by police.
The Million Moms March is set to take place May 9.
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