On Monday, Nov. 24, a grand jury in Missouri made the decision not to indict white Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, ruling that “no probable cause exists” to indict him for the shooting and killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown on Aug. 9. This incident sparked strife over the idea of a white man shooting and killing a black teenager who supposedly surrendered, putting his hands up. The decision not to indict the officer was met with both violent and nonviolent protests all over the U.S., from the friends and relatives of Brown in Ferguson to the L.A. riots. Recently, these objections have made their way to Claremont, where Claremont College students, mainly from Pitzer and Pomona, organized a series of protests in response to the decision made by the grand jury.

“The big march had been organized about three or four weeks [before], but they decided to present it to everyone after the [jury] decision was made,” Alex Janienowski, a Pitzer College student, said.

A notice was sent out via Facebook, inviting anyone who disapproved of the decision and wanted to voice their opinion of the grand jury’s ruling. The message said that the protesters would meet at the Honnold Mudd Library at the Claremont Colleges. This message was also spread verbally, from student-to-student. Prior to their march, the protesters made signs at the library for the students to carry, some reading ‘Hands Up Don’t Shoot.’

Over 300 protesters gathered to march through the colleges and through the Village, holding up their hands that were painted red and carrying their signs, chanting as they marched. They finally ended their parade at the Claremont City Hall, where different students spoke to the crowds that had gathered at the display. There, they shared stories that had to do with the problems the Ferguson case has brought to light. For example, one Pomona College student read a poem she wrote about the issue and had published in the school newspaper. Many other students expressed frustration about racial injustice issues and how they do not believe the government is handling it properly. These speeches went on for about an hour.

“I think that it is great that people in Claremont have taken a stand against this injustice,” CHS sophomore Erandi Chavez said. “It sends a message that people everywhere are sick of racial hate and discrimination and do not want to tolerate it anymore.”

The students are planning to go to the city of Los Angeles to again voice their disapproval over the grand jury’s decision, mimicking the march they did in Claremont. They are joining the many people around the nation who believe that the grand jury’s decision was wrong. The march in Claremont was only a preview of what is happening around the rest of the country.