Hundreds marched in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday, to demand justice and reforms following the fatal police shooting of 16-year-old Easter Leafa in her family's apartment on Aug. 13.
Community leaders and Leafa's family expressed grief and called for transparency, urging the release of unedited bodycam footage. Protesters carried signs reading “Justice for Easter,” “Don’t shoot” and “Say her name.” The march is one of several events honoring Leafa and pushing for change, following six police shootings in the city since May.
Leafa, who had recently moved to Anchorage from American Samoa, was set to begin her junior high school year. The community outrage has led Mayor Suzanne LaFrance and Police Chief Sean Case to propose reforms aimed at reducing officer-involved shootings, including an external investigation into Leafa’s death, a third-party review of police department policies, the creation of a community advisory committee and an examination of all police shootings ...
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