By Donald Norton

At about 5 p.m. on Friday, December 5, a crowd of 200–250 students from Tufts University marched down College Avenue into Davis Square, chanting “Black lives matter” and other phrases of protest.

In what appeared to be a well-organized peaceful demonstration, protesters marched into Davis Square blocking traffic for about 10-15 minutes, many even lying down in the middle of the square.
The police were apparently very prepared, with Tufts Police marching with the students down into the square where City of Somerville and Transit Police were waiting.
The transit police temporarily closed down the T station while protesters marched by, interfering with rush hour traffic both on the T and in the streets.
The demonstration was very peaceful once the participants reached the square center, where they laid down in silent protest in sympathy with the Ferguson demonstrations and as a reaction to latest Grand Jury decision returning no indictment against the NYPD Police in the matter of the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
A large crowd of onlookers, nearly as many as the numbers of protesters, gathered in silence. Once back on their feet, they marched in unison down Elm Street into Cambridge. The entire demonstration was peaceful and well organized.
The police were well aware that the protest was being organized since yesterday when information about it was posted on Facebook.
The Somerville police were present in force as were the transit police. The Police Department was prepared and ready to act in case the crowd got out of hand. As it turned out it was completely non-violent event and appeared to be very well organized.
Two or three individuals were leading the crowd with a microphone telling them where to go, when to lie down and when to get up and move on. What the police did not know was the crowd’s ultimate destination, which they kept to themselves.

— Photos by Donald Norton