SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Mother’s for Justice will hold an hour long rally from Monday to Friday in Syracuse this week. The rallies are designed to raise awareness for their mission to demand justice for families that have lost loved ones to the deliberate acts of a police officer, police informant, community member, or anyone else connected to law enforcement.
Eight people marched up and down South Salina Street with posters with customized messages in support of Mother’s for Justice. Passing cars honked in approval, including one police car that even flashed their lights and honked for the rally.
Mother’s for Justice holds a rally at this location every day of the week, except Sundays.
Jennifer Bidwell, one of the leaders of the organization, said the goal is to raise awareness for their cause.
“The overall goal for today, and every day, is to have those responsible for our loved one’s deaths, held accountable — and for justice to be served,” Bidwell said. “Not only for our loved ones, but for everyone else’s loved ones.”
Bidwell said she chose the location of the rally because it’s right by I-81, prime position for people to see the rally.
“The reason for where we protest at is kind of the off, the off and on ramp to the I-81 — and the purpose of rallying there, I figured that’s a really good spot being that many people are coming in and out of Syracuse, through Syracuse, that will see our group,” Bidwell said. “Somebody will see our message and hopefully pay attention.”
Bidwell said she hopes the rally also encourages people to donate to their cause. Michelle Manos, the other leader of Mother’s for Justice, said she has yet to receive a donation and, to this point, the organization has been fully funded by the personal savings of Manos and Bidwell.
“I haven’t had a donation yet,” Manos said. “We’ve been doing this out of our pocket and we’re struggling, too.”
Bidwell said donations would keep the Mother’s for Justice running, and she has no intention of stopping any time soon.
“I didn’t start this to have it go until winter and then stop,” Bidwell said. “I did this s— up in Potsdam all year — rain, sunshine, sleet, snow, anything, I was out there. And I want to continue this, we want to continue this.”
Bidwell previously founded the Black Lives Matter group in Potsdam, N.Y., in 2020. Bidwell recently moved from Potsdam to Syracuse, though, after she said she received harassment from people in the community for pursuing the cause of her son’s death earlier this year.
Bidwell’s son, Terron Evans Jr., died in January 2021. She said the official cause of death listed was suicide by overdose, but she thinks the cause of death wasn’t properly investigated.
Eventually, Bidwell hopes that the funding that Mother for Justice receives will eventually be enough to help contribute to the legal fees of families that have lost loved ones to the hands of police.
Until then, though, Manos said she just wants people to come out and show support for their group.
“We need women, we need mothers out here, to come and stand up with us,” Manos said. “We need men — they can come out here — father’s can come out here and stand up with us. We’re about justice. The truth and justice. We need our voices heard, honoured, and respected out here.”
