A group of protesters marched to Stamford Police
Department on Saturday for what they called a Black Lives Still Matter march.
The family
of Steven Barrier and the
Connecticut Legal Rights Project filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stamford
Police Department in March.
Barrier
died in police custody in October 2019 on his 23rd birthday.
The recent lawsuit accuses Stamford police of using excessive force
on a mentally ill man and failing to immediately get him emergency medical and
psychiatric care while in custody.
The
community took to the streets on Saturday, starting in Harbor Point. The group marched down Bedford Street and ended at
the Stamford Police Department while chanting for Barrier.
Organizers of the march say
they won't back down from getting justice for Barrier and for the Black men recently killed while in police
custody.
The state’s attorney's office determined Barrier died of heart failure
and natural causes.
However, Barrier's family still blames the police
for not taking him to the hospital fast enough.
No criminal charges or
disciplinary actions were brought against the several officers involved in
Barrier's arrest and detention.