Members of the State College community gathered Friday to commemorate the two year anniversary of Osaze Osagie’s death. Osagie — a black man with mental health issues — was killed by State College Police. Protestors want the police officers involved to be charged for killing Osagie. Investigations found his shooting to be justified.
More than 50 people walked through downtown State College with masks and signs for the “Two Years Too Late” march in memory of Osagie. Nyla Holland is a Penn State student and sits on the steering committee for the 3/20 Coalition.
“I think there’s a lot of duality within this work. So one, we're fighting for justice. That’s what today’s march was about, recognizing the systemic cover up that has been revealed. And then the other part was that we have a life that was lived and Osaze was a part of this community and we really owe it to him to make our community stronger,” Holland said.
The 3/20 Coalition’s “10 Days of Action” culminated into a daylong event Saturday with a reflection walk, yard games, and a poetry slam at the State College Municipal building. Holland said they wanted the events to be as visible as possible.
“I think it’s so important, especially for the most marginalized issues like this, to take up as much space as possible. Because it can be so invisible, especially under this guise that is Happy Valley,” Holland said.
All funds raised go to the Osaze Osagie College Scholarship Endowment.
