Roughly 300 people participated at the third annual Walk for Justice on March 25. Friends and family members that lost their loved ones set up booths displaying images and giving out leaflets that stated their story.

They began with a march walking up streets of northeast Bakersfield and came back around noon, where they had a barbeque and shared stories of the ones from the past.

“Last Saturday, I walked my dog and was beaten by some police officers. A man almost ran over a dog and we started arguing, next thing I know there are cops almost everywhere. One cop rushed me and hit me right in the mouth knocking some of my teeth out. I hit the ground and when I got up they tased me. I hit the ground, started bleeding and they just start beating me. They were hurting my wrist and telling me to stop resisting. I was screaming ‘Stop, I’m not doing anything. I didn’t do anything; I didn’t do anything!’ I ended up with 6 stiches and I have two metal plates in my arms,” stated Kristie Briano. She was invited just a week later to attend this event and share her story.

“The event is to bring all the families together. It’s not much of a community event, but one for the families that have lost someone due to police brutality. The families that were there were the ones that set it up,” said Marie Salrs, who lost her 19-year-old son on Sept. 8, 2011 to Tustin Police Department.

Our Realities is an organization that sets up outings, potlucks, and picnics. The organization reaches out to Bakersfield families to help with the grief they experience and give them support.