Demonstrators Protest Against NYPD Chokehold Death of Eric Garner
Published at
Kena Betancur/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Thousands of demonstrators gathered Saturday on New York’s Staten Island to protest the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who lost his life following a police chokehold.
Protesters chanted “I can’t breathe” — the words Garner was heard saying during the July incident — as they marched along sidewalks in the neighborhood.
During the “We Won’t Go Back” rally, attendeespromised a peaceful demonstration and parents demanded that police stop targeting their young men.
Some attendees claimed the issue of racial profiling by police still persists and continues circumstances similar to Garner’s death. The 43-year-old was confronted by officers for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. The city’s medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
“The same issues that we were fighting in the 60s we’re right back at it again,” said protester Jeff London. “It hasn’t stopped.”
Participants also chanted, “Don’t Shoot,” the rallying cry that could be heard throughout Ferguson, Missouri during recent protests over the deadly police shooting of an unarmed teen Michael Brown.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio