Members of the Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice and Black Lives Matter: Champaign-Urbana protest the non-indictment of Champaign Police Department officer Matt Rush on Friday.

The demonstration will be held outside of the Champaign County Courthouse, 101 E. Main St., at 9 a.m., according to a press release from the groups.

Rush has been a CPD officer since 2010; he was on trial for use of excessive force several times in the area.

“Time and time again?from Ferguson, to New York, to Chicago?we have seen the failure to prosecute police. With each non-indictment comes the erosion of any notion of American ‘justice,’” the release states. “The immunity granted to police often leads to total impunity. The police have been given too much power. As the public becomes increasingly aware of this, we are seeing expressions of outrage across the country.”

The release states that State’s Attorney Julia Rietz did not interview Precious Jackson, one of Rush’s victims, and called the decision not to indict Rush “political manipulation.”

Consequently, the group will rally to indict Rietz for failure to uphold justice; a press conference will follow. The groups are also collecting signatures on a petition urging Rietz to prosecute Rush. The petition has over 400 signatures.

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