News / Society

Mourners call for justice at Alton Sterling's funeral

Saturday, 16 July 2016 12:34 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 16 July 2016 12:39 PM ]

Friends and family pay their respects beside the open casket of Alton Sterling at Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 15, 2016. (Reuters)

Hundreds of mourners have called for justice as they attended the funeral of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man who was shot by police this month, in north Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

During the three-hour service at Southern University on Friday, the grieving loved ones and residents paid their respects to Sterling, whose death on July 5 highlighted race relations in the United States and triggered a new wave of protest against police brutality.

Pallbearers carry out the casket of Sterling after his funeral at Southern University. (AFP)

Sterling’s open casket was adorned with music notes and a smiling photo of the father of five. Sterling used to be called “the CD man” as he sold music in front of a neighborhood convenience store, where he was shot to death by two white officers as he was pinned to the pavement.

The event was peaceful as the attendees honored an appeal at the funeral not to demonstrate about Sterling’s death. However, the mourners called for justice and an end to police violence.

Friends and family pay their respects as they attend the funeral. (AFP)

Sandra Sterling cries during the funeral of her nephew. (AFP)

Standing beside the coffin, a mourner wore a T-shirt that said, “No Justice No Peace” and another carried a sign saying, “Black America I'm Sorry!”

Standing beside Sterling's open casket, a mourner holds a sign reading, "Black America I'm Sorry!" (AP)

Among the mourners were staff for Governor John Bel Edwards, who himself was out of town, and Congressman Cedric Richmond.

Prominent black activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as well as close family members spoke about Sterling and the police treatment of African Americans.

Rev. Jesse Jackson consoles Cameron Sterling, the 15-year-old son of Alton Sterling. (AFP)

“Wrong must be corrected and the wrong must be held accountable,” Rev. Sharpton said. “We have got to stop going from funeral to funeral.”

Sharpton said police officers must be held accountable for killing African Americans. “We have an inferior judicial system that does not protect all of its citizens equally.”

Rev. Al Sharpton speaks to friends and family during the funeral. (AFP)

The use of excessive force by law enforcement has become the focus of national debate, particularly over high-profile killing of African Americans by white officers during the last several years.

Police in the US killed over 1,150 people in 2015, of which at least 321 were African Americans, according to data compiled by an activist group that runs the Mapping Police Violence project.

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