Hundreds marched from the edge of Columbia Point to Grove Hall on Monday, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, calling for racial and economic justice, a $15-an-hour minimum wage, and union representation, and decrying police brutality and the rampant Islamophobia across the country.

The marchers’ message of equality and social justice was organized by Mass Action Against Police Brutality (MAAPB) and the Fight for 15 campaign, including members of local unions.

As the protesters assembled, organizers stood in the bed of a pickup truck pasted with images of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old black boy who was fatally shot by police in Cleveland as he reached for a replica pistol, and Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old black woman who was found hanged in a Texas jail cell, sparking allegations that her death was a racially motivated act.

The march began at the base of Moakley Park, across the street from the State Police barracks on William J. Day Boulevard. Protesters carried signs asking for fair wages, expressing solidarity with migrant workers, and demanding the jailing of police officers who commit acts of violence. Some signs were stained with red handprints meant to indicate blood on the hands of police.

A number of the marchers said they made the five-hour journey to continue to shine light on the mistreatment of minorities at the hand of police. Police escorts ensured the marchers had a clear path to their destination, including a long stretch of Columbia Road.

“Our police system needs a complete overhaul,” said Carla Sheffield, standing on the pickup truck while she was buffeted by snow and icy wind in a parking lot near Grove Hall. Sheffield’s son, 26-year-old Burrell A. Ramsey-White of Dorchester, was shot in 2012 by a Boston Police officer after an attempted traffic stop, during which Ramsey-White reportedly pulled out a pistol, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. The DA’s office declined to press charges against the officer after an investigation, although Sheffield still believes that officers’ accounts were inconsistent.

“You didn’t bring my child into this world,” she said Monday. “Why would you think you have the right to take him out of this world?”
Others echoed her frustration, some citing the case of former MBTA officer Jennifer Amyot Garvey, who was indicted in early January for assaulting Roxbury resident Mary Holmes. The marchers asked for follow-through in cases of officials committing violence.

“It’s a terrible thing that’s happening in America, right?” asked Wayne Dozier. “We’re here to change that.” Dozier is the grandfather of DJ Henry, a native of Easton who was shot and killed by a police officer in suburban New York in 2010. He has been a frequent face in marches for social justice and against police violence. Monday’s march was meant to “rebuke the system,” Dozier said.

As the marchers moved on, chants for higher wages and tolerance toward Muslims were shouted out during the procession, drums beating in the background.

Institutional racism, Islamophobia, and violence against minorities compound the economic difficulties posed by an un-livable wage, said organizer Brock Satter of Mass Action Against Police Brutality. “The wages are too damn low, and people need the right to get organized,” he said.