Arrested Protester Organizes Officer Vigil

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A woman who was arrested last Sunday in a confrontational clash with law enforcement during protests over the death of Alton Sterling is now a key organizer in a vigil planned Wednesday to honor the slain police officers. Blair Imani, 22, an LSU alumna and Muslim community activist, has been an outspoken critic of tactics used by Baton Rouge officers against protesters demonstrating in the wake of the death of Sterling, a 37-year-old man shot dead by police during a scuffle outside of the Triple S Food Mart. But Imani said she's against all brutality, including violence against police officers. And she said that this is not a situation where people have to choose sides. "All violence is wrong," she said. "Yes, I've always been against police brutality but violence is wrong and this is not the right way." The One Baton Rouge Vigil for Fallen Officers will be at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at LSU's Memorial Tower. It's to honor the three law enforcement officers Brad Garafola, Montrell Jackson and Matthew Gerald, who were killed by a 29-year-old Kansas City man identified by law enforcement as Gavin Eugene Long.

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Imani still stands by her previous comments to media that she was brutalized by police officers while being apprehended. But she said that doesn't mean she can't condemn violence on both sides. "Violence is a part of the culture of America," she said. "I'm tired of having two separate conversations about it."

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