Thousands of activists protested in rallies and marches in 30 American cities on Wednesday for a National Day of Action against police brutality.

There were actions in Albuquerque, Cambridge, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, East Lansing, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Honolulu, Houston, Iowa City, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and White Plains, and they were covered by local news and social media.

Carl Dix the co-founder of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network had co-issued the call with Cornel West for a National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality on Oct. 22.

Protesters staged a funeral procession for men killed by police in suburban St. Louis, including Michael Brown; protested inside the St. Louis County police department; and gathered for a late night march in Ferguson.

Dozens of youth people walked onto and blocked Atlanta's central expressway I-75/85 with the message #BlackLivesMatter.

In Ohio activists called for justice for John Crawford, a black man killed for holding an air gun in a Wal-Mart where the gun was for sale.

A 100-student delegation, comprising students of UC Berkeley, Mills College and high schools in the Bay Area, joined a rally at Oscar Grant Plaza, named for the victim of police murder in 2009. Protesters, who held a permit to march, were stopped by Oakland police before finally reaching downtown Oakland.

Activists have been protesting in St. Louis, Missouri since the police shooting death of African American teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. A massive day of action was held on Staten Island around the police chokehold death of African-American father of six Eric Garner. Both deaths are undergoing grand jury investigations as to whether to indict the police officers involved.

Family members of people killed or brutalized by police played a prominent role in protest actions around the country on Wednesday. Wearing or carrying photos of loved ones whose lives were "stolen" by police or jailers, they tearfully and defiantly told their stories, wanting to avoid similar tragedies happening to others.

In New York 200 activists blowing whistles rallied in Union Square for a march to Times Square.

Originally the organizer's permit only allowed them to reach 42nd Street and 7th Avenue but not cross the threshold into Times Square because of police concerns about traffic and safety. Activists complained about the restriction to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who told organizers he would look into the matter, and on the day activists were able to assemble in Times Square without restriction.

So far there have no reports of arrests.

"Oct. 22 is a day when those who suffered the devastation of police murder have a platform to speak about this, and when others throughout society are rallied to stand with them in the fight to stop police murder. Are we going to stand aside while police wantonly murder Black youth, or are we going to act now to put up a big STOP SIGN to the horrors of the criminal injustice system enforces on tens of millions of people," Dix said.