Occupy Dream: Clergy Hope MLK Rally Will Draw Attention to String of Homicides of Black Men

The dream continues ...

Members of the African-American community already had big plans to hold its "Occupy Dream" rally today to recognize the April 4, 1968, assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. But sadly, the group has yet another more reason to draw attention to their cause: The recent string of gun violence among San Francisco's black youth.

Just two days before today's planned rally, 21-year-old Lawrence Richardson -- an African-American -- was shot to death as he walked out of a corner store in the Western Addition. No suspects have been named in the shooting, which is San Francisco's 18th homicide this year. On Sunday, police found another black man, 20-year-old Jahmad Karriem, shot and killed at a Ingleside home.

Rev. Amos Brown, president of the local NAACP chapter, said "his heart is heavy" as he is still grappling with the death of Richardson, and many other black youths as of late.

Brown said today's rally -- which starts at 11:30 a.m. -- is a continuation of what happened on March 30 when clergy gathered with community groups at San Francisco City Hall to call for justice in the Trayvon Martin case while also addressing the need for policies that will help curb this gun violence and untimely deaths of young black men.

Today's rally is meant to "motivate a movement to change the climate that is an impetus for deaths of people like Trayvon Martin, Lawrence Richardson, and too many others that have been killed due to senseless violence," Brown said.

Anyone with information regarding these recent deaths is encouraged to call the SFPD anonymous tip line at 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and include SFPD in the subject line.

Follow us on Twitter at @SFWeekly and @TheSnitchSF