Protesters rally in downtown State College against racial injustice

Despite the rain, a crowd of about 100 people gathered in downtown State College Saturday afternoon to protest against racial injustice.

Carrying “Black Lives Matter,” and “Justice 4 Osaze” signs, the crowd marched around downtown chanting slogans such as “No justice, so peace,” ending in front of the State College Municipal Building for a teach-in.

Organized by the 3/20 Coalition, the protest was the first since Penn State students have been back in town for the fall semester, and the first since the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has sparked nationwide protests and halted most of the professional sports world.

Protests are exempt from State College’s ordinance that limits outdoor gatherings to no more than 25 people during the pandemic.

Saturday’s march and teach-in were intended to observe — and educate the community about — Black August and Black Resistance. According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, Black August, “began in the 1970s to mark the assassination of the imprisoned Black Panther, author, and revolutionary George Jackson during a prison rebellion in California. It is a time of reverence to honor political prisoners, freedom fighters, and martyrs of the Black freedom struggle.”

The 3/20 Coalition was formed 17 months ago after Osaze Osagie’s death at the hands of law enforcement. Osagie, a 29-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by a State College police officer in February 2019. The group has continued to push for reform and the firing of officers who were cleared of wrongdoing by the Centre County District Attorney’s Office.

Here’s some scenes from Saturday’s protest: