BATON ROUGE - This July will mark a year since Alton Sterilng was shot and killed by police, igniting protests across the Baton Rouge area.
Minister Nuri Muhammad, a black Muslim leader from Indianapolis, let loose fiery rhetoric as he called for the US Justice Department to take action at the Stop Killing Alton Sterling Rally on Saturday.
"When the Justice Department comes and sticks their toe in the water, today or nine months later, it's still going to be hot declaring justice for Alton Sterling," Muhammad said.
The rally was organized by the Baton Rouge Justice or Else Coalition and the local Nation of Islam.
Organizer Rashad Muhammad said the event served as not only a tribute to Alton Sterling but was also an effort to make sure his shooting did not get swept under the rug.
Crowds showed up for the rally held at the Triple S Food Mart, the location where Alton Sterling was shot and killed by police last year.
Sterling's Nephew, Cater Terrance said the rally was necessary to bring the community together and put an end to the violence.
The rally also called for an economic boycott of local businesses, and organizers say the boycott will lead to justice for Alton Sterling and his family.
"The ones that killed him must be dealt with according to the law," Muhammad said.