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Protesters Call For More Police Transparency After Joseph Mann Shooting Videos Released

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets to call for more police transparency Wednesday night. This just one day after Sacramento police released graphic video of officers shooting and killing an armed black man.

More than 100 people marched along Del Paso Boulevard and Arden Way where 50-year-old Joseph Mann was killed in July.

"A lot of people don't know what's happening here," says organizer Tanya Faison. "We just can't sit in our chairs and watch videos of people surrendering to police and still being killed, we need to hit these streets."

While the protest remained peaceful, community members are fed up.

"This is an environmental issue about human beings being killed, and there's no accountability when the police pull out that gun," said Kevin Carter.

The community is responding to the video footage of Mann's death, since the video was made public.

"This man was not attacking the police, they had no need to kill him. There's an alternative way that they could've dealt with this man," said Richard Owen, chair of the group Law Enforcement Accountability Directive (L.E.A.D.).

The community now wants change over how police and the city handle officer-involved shootings.

"They don't want to be treated any different, they just want to be treated fairly and with respect," says David DeLuz, former CEO of Urban League.

"Police currently do the shootings, they investigate them themselves with their own homicide unit, then they do it with their internal affairs department and send it to the DA's office. There's nothing in the process where the people's interest is represented," said Owen.

Businesses in the area were warned about the protest, and some had private security outside in case things got out of hand.

But the inspiration was not just behind the death of Mann, but by the April shooting of Dazion Flenaugh and all the other Black men they believe are being unjustly targeted around the country.

There was some optimism, as city leaders announced this week that they are forming a new committee made up of four council members to examine what changes need to be made in transparency. They will be looking into whether there needs to be more civilian oversight, and if any police policies need to be changed.

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