Protests continue in response to Eric Garner decision
Today marks the fifth day that protesters have taken to the streets in response to a grand jury’s decision not to indict an NYPD police officer who fatally killed an unarmed black man using an illegal restraint move in July.
Activists across the nation say that 43-year-old Eric Garner’s death will not go in vain.
As many as 500 people were marching in Berkeley, California, on Sunday night, standing in front of buses, blocking traffic and yelling, “Fist up, Fight back.” They also chanted “Turn it up, don’t turn it down. Shut it down for Michael Brown,” the name of the unarmed black teen fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The California Highway Patrol said protesters were throwing rocks at police. Police deployed tear gas and arrested protesters in nearby Oakland who had attempted to block eastbound lanes on Highway 24, the California Highway Patrol said. The CHP did not say how many people it had arrested.
In Philadelphia, about 200 protesters and clergy staged a “die-in,” in which demonstrators lie down on the street, outside the South Philadelphia Sports Complex on Sunday following the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks. They at times yelled, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” as they raised their hands in the air.
Some fans leaving the stadium could be heard jeering at the protesters. Philadelphia native Raheem Manning said such taunts show work remains to be done on educating people about racial inequality. The protests weren’t just about the recent cases in which unarmed black men have been killed by white police officers, he said.
“I still have the fear that a cop may bother me for no reason,” Manning told NBC Philadelphia. “It’s definitely a protest about an underlying issue that’s happening across the country.”
About 100 churches held peaceful demonstrations in Chicago throughout the day Sunday, while protesters in Miami marched on Interstate 195, shutting down the highway in both directions.
Protests are expected to continue Monday.
Black lives matter.
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