Protesters took over a section of highway in Manhattan hours after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the death of an unarmed black man on Staten Island this summer — in a case that was recorded on video and showed the man crying "I can't breathe."
A crowd estimated to number more than 100 was on Manhattan's West Side Highway and was seen being pushed north by a line of police officers wearing helmets and armed with batons at around 9:30 p.m. At least six protesters were detained with plastic restraints, and shouted out their names as they were taken into custody. By about 10:15 p.m. the highway was reopened in both directions.
Police said they made 30 arrests at various protests around Manhattan as of 10:15 p.m.
Protesters also staged a "die-in" in the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal and crowds earlier voiced their anger over the grand jury's decision in Times Square. There were also protests in Washington, D.C., and Oakland, California.
"I'm outraged," John Grauwiler, 44, said as he joined protests in Times Square. "As a man of color, I'm concerned about the implications of this for me and my friends. I thought the turnout would be different, but this is a wake-up call."
A grand jury on Wednesday declined to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, 43, who died after being placed in a chokehold while being arrested for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes on Staten Island on July 17. The incident was captured on video, in which Garner can be heard telling officers "I can't breathe" as he was being restrained.
"I can't breathe" became a rallying cry as crowds gathered in Times Square. Protesters also held their hands up — referencing the death in Ferguson, Missouri, of Michael Brown, who was killed by a police officer who was also not indicted — and held signs reading "Black Lives Matter."
Mayor Bill de Blasio called for peaceful protests and vowed police reforms, including training officers on alternative ways to resolve conflicts. He talked about Garner's death and the mistrust between some minority communities and the police in highly personal terms, as his son Dante is biracial.
"[Wife] Chirlane and I have had to talk to Dante for years about the dangers he may face … we've had to literally train him, as families have all over this city for decades, in how to take special care in any encounters he has with police officers, who are there to protect him,' de Blasio said, adding that it would be an emphasis of his administration to bridge gaps in understanding between police and the community.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday that the Justice Department will launch a civil rights investigation into Garner's death.
Some protesting in the city Wednesday chanted, "NYPD, KKK, how many kids did you kill today?" "
"I grew up in the '60s and '70s, we fought to have justice and 40 years later we still don't have justice in this country," said protester Walter Cooper, 65. "I'm very frustrated and upset."
Protesters like Doug Brinson said the decision not to indict was an insult.
"Not to indict the man is like a double slap in your face," Brinson told NBC New York. "It's like stomping you down on the ground."
"A murderer was caught on camera, and for whatever reason they [the grand jury] decided to let a murderer go free, and this keeps happening," said protester Adina Bloom, 25, as she marched with others to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting from Times Square. "I don't understand how much more evidence one has to present to face consequences. What more could we have done to show the people of the court a murder occurred?"
NBC News' Phil Helsel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
First published December 3 2014, 3:56 PM
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1FPlou1
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