Protesters Decry Cambridge Police Killing of Sayed Faisal in Weeklong Picket at City Hall

BY RYAN H. DOAN-NGUYEN AND YUSUF S. MIAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Boston-area students and activists picketed Cambridge City Hall from Monday to Friday in protest of the fatal shooting of 20-yearold Sayed Faisal by a Cambridge Police Department officer, marking the latest demonstration in a monthslong campaign.

Faisal, a Bangladeshi American student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, was killed by police on Jan. 4. The shooting occurred after the Cambridge Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting that a man had jumped through a window and was harming himself, according to a CPD press release. After a foot chase through Cambridgeport, Faisal allegedly moved toward police wielding a knife, and when a sponge round failed to stop him, an officer fatally shot him.

Faisal’s killing by police sparked months of protest against alleged brutality in Cambridge’s police and has renewed calls for alternative to policing, transparency, and police reform.

The weeklong picket included an iftar — a traditional meal when Muslims break their fast after sunset during Ramadan — on Monday, a mural session on Wednesday, an open mic event on Thursday, and several rallies.

Party for Socialism and Liberation organizer and MIT alumnus Husayn R. Karimi said in a Monday interview that it was important to hold an iftar because of Faisal’s family’s Muslim identity.

“Faisal’s family and many community members — many people in the Bangladeshi community — are Muslim, practice Islam, and observe Ramadan,”

Karimi said. “Many of the organizers are Muslim too.”

Picket organizers held an iftar on Monday to honor the Muslim identity of Faisal’s family.

Karimi, who emceed the Monday protest, said the decision to picket City Hall drew inspiration from historic social movements.

“Pickets have a very important legacy in the labor movement and the civil rights movement as a demonstration of being fed up,” Karimi said. “We wanted to picket to draw more attention to the issue and do it for a prolonged period of time to show our strength that we’re out here for the long haul.”

On Monday, protesters marched in an oval along the sidewalk facing City Hall, waving signs and shouting chants of “If we don’t get no justice, then they don’t get no peace!” and “Can’t stop, won’t stop! Jail those killer cops!” One demonstrator pounded on a drum to the rhythm of the chants as another played a cymbal and danced.

Protesters reiterated demands for City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 and other officials to name, fire, and prosecute the officers involved in Faisal’s killing, as well as to release the full unredacted police report.

Huang has maintained that the names of the officers and the police report will be released following the completion of the Middlesex District Attorney’s investigation.

The “Justice for Faisal” move - ment comprises students from more than seven Boston-area universities and members of Safe Schools Somerville, the Bangladeshi Association of New England, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, in addition to other residents and activists.

At the Monday rally, Party for Socialism and Liberation organizer and MIT senior Susanna Chen criticized Huang for his handling of a recent meeting between activists and city officials.

“During the meeting, it became immediately clear that the City Manager Huang did not see us as constituents he needed to answer to,” Chen told protesters. “We didn’t anticipate the extent to which the City Manager chose to disrespect us and this movement.” ryan.doannguyen@thecrimson.com yusuf.mian@thecrimson.com offsets instead of reducing emissions.

In an emailed statement to The Crimson, Huang wrote that he does not support firing and prosecuting any officers before the conclusion of the district attorney’s investigation.

“People have been buying carbon credits, but they’re not actually getting carbon back into the soil,” Houghstow said.

“That has really profound implications for some of the changes that have been made in the last round of edits to this, which basically implies it’ll make this draft as it is now pretty ineffective,” she said of the amendments.

Steven E. Miller, a member of climate justice group 350 Mas- sachusetts, said he supports the policies because of the impact climate change will have on his grandchildren.

“I came here because I now have grandchildren and I realized very intimately that the world will not be there for them, right?” said Miller. “So I feel it’s my responsibility to help do what I can to keep that from happening.” erika.chung@thecrimson.com emily.ding@thecrimson.com