Activists protesting recent police killings staged a peaceful die-in during Boston’s First Night, the city's popular New Year's Eve celebration.
Dozens of people briefly laid down in front of the Boston Public Library on Wednesday evening while others held signs saying "black lives matter" and "a young black man is two times more likely to be shot dead by police than a young white man."
Similar protests have occurred in Boston and other cities in response to recent decisions by grand juries in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City not to charge white police officers in the deaths of unarmed black men.
On Tuesday, Mayor Martin Walsh and Police Commissioner William Evans urged activists to hold off on the die-in, saying it was not appropriate for the family-friendly event. But participants said the demonstration was an important reminder of how the killings of unarmed minority youths affect families.
Meanwhile about one million people braved cold temperatures to watch the ball drop in New York City.
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