Photos: 'Black Lives Matter' march in Anchorage

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Jaquisa Marcell marches on 4th Avenue. The NAACP Anchorage Youth Council hosted a “Black Lives Matter” rally in downtown Anchorage on Saturday, December 6, 2014. About 120 people participated in a march in downtown Anchorage. Organizers wanted to show support for events held nationwide protesting excessive force and racial profiling by police following the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner. Local NAACP officials expressed no specific concern about local police.

About 120 people gathered in downtown Anchorage Saturday afternoon for a "Black Lives Matter" rally organized by the local NAACP Youth Council, joining a national chorus for an end to racial profiling and discriminatory policing. An initial group of a few dozen grew as more marchers joined the procession winding its way through downtown.

The Anchorage rally was being held in front of the local NAACP chapter's headquarters on Third Avenue. In a statement, the organization said the aim was to "recognize the crisis across the country that young African American males face -- 'Black Lives Matter' and all men of color who encounter racial profiling and injustice." Organizers said they wanted to memorialize recent deaths and discus the use of police force and discriminatory practices.

Those problems do not appear to be specific to Alaska, where the relationship between minorities and law enforcement is generally a positive one, organizers and officials said. In an interview Friday, Anchorage NAACP president Kevin McGee said his organization did not have specific concerns about the policies and practices of the Anchorage Police Department or Alaska State Troopers.

Read more: 'Black Lives Matter' protest in Anchorage echoes national concerns