After several hours of marching on New York City sidewalks, demonstrators on social media celebrated that they had "taken" Park Avenue before heading uptown and on to Harlem. The group later converged with another crowd that marched from The Bronx.
The aunt of Akai Gurley, an unarmed African-American man shot by police in a Brooklyn housing project stairwell in November, joined the demonstrators.
— FriendofTrees (@JamiaStarheart) December 24, 2014
High-end boutiques along 5th Avenue shut their doors early — two days before Christmas — as crowds along the famous shopping street marched against police brutality and racism in law enforcement.
— Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 23, 2014
Despite suggestions by NYPD officials that demonstrators' angry rhetoric led to the slaying of police in Brooklyn over the weekend, protesters didn't appear to relent in their choice of chants. Marchers could be heard yelling "NYPD — KKK — How many kids did you kill today?" as they passed NYPD officers lined up alongside the demonstration.
— Ash J (@AshAgony) December 23, 2014
March participants on social media initially estimated around 500 people were participating in the protest, which was organized by the Answer Coalition. Later estimates put the number as high as 2,000.
— Dr Luiza Marie Ponte (@DrLMPonte) December 23, 2014
— Tim Eastman (@TimBEastman) December 23, 2014
Protesters began their march down New York's 5th Avenue at 5 PM. Crowds could be heard chanting "Shut it down!" and "When police are violent, we won't be silent!" as they made their way through central Manhattan.
— Global Revolution TV (@GlobalRevLive) December 23, 2014
In a show of solidarity with police unions — amidst growing animosity between the city government and law enforcement — after the fatal ambush of two NYPD officers on Saturday, Mayor de Blasio had urged protesters to halt all demonstrations until after funeral services could be held.
“These families want a city filled with peace and unity, and it’s our job, all of us, to create that,” de Blasio told a crowd at City Hall on Tuesday.
But organizers for Answer Coalition say that a march down 5th Avenue in Manhattan against police violence will continue as planned. A spokesman for the group said, “the mayor’s call for a suspension of democracy and the exercise of free speech rights in the face of ongoing injustice is outrageous.”
“We will not let recent tragic moments derail this movement,” one protester said. “This is the revolution and we will not be repressed.”
Tensions have long existed between City Hall and New York police, and strains have only increased since Saturday’s shooting. Many associated with the police department have accused the mayor of fomenting the kind of anti-police sentiment that resulted in Saturday’s execution-style shooting of Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in their police cruiser in Brooklyn.
