Furious protesters chanting “no justice, no tree!” tried to storm Rockefeller Center on Wednesday to disrupt the annual lighting ceremony following a grand jury’s decision to not indict the NYPD cop who killed Eric Garner.
“Fuck the tree!” the mob bellowed as cops held them at bay along Sixth Avenue in front of Radio City Music Hall.
The angry throng attempted to ram their way through a well-fortified police barricade at Sixth Avenue and West 52nd Street about 6:20 p.m. but were pushed back by a sea of blue — but never got near the giant tree.
“It’s the biggest thing going on in the city tonight, so seemed like a good place to make a statement,” said Nick Connolly, 30, of Brooklyn, one of hundreds of demonstrators who marched up both 5th and 6th avenues to converge on the tree lighting.
“I think it’s disgusting that the NYPD can get away with murder. There’s a double standard with the police and how they can just throw black people in jail, ” said self-described “activist” Alexander Rubinstein, 22, from the Lower East Side.
At 7:20 p.m., cops penned in another mob at West 47th and 6th, threatening them with arrest if they breached the barriers and tried to reach the 8 p.m. tree lighting.
Earlier, dozens of demonstrators swarmed the street outside the Staten Island shop where Garner died, while others staged a rush-hour “die in” at Grand Central Terminal and gathered in Union and Times squares.
“They should react in an uproar. Just like they failed Ferguson, they failed us,” seethed Heather Ewig, 46, who called Garner a friend and “a teddy bear in the community,” as the crowd started to build on Bay Street in Staten Island.
“You gotta be kidding me!” shouted Linder Hampton, 59, who was wearing a T-shirt with Garner’s last words, “This ends today” and “I can’t breathe.”
About 50 protesters staged the “die in” next to the information booth at Grand Central, lying motionless on the ground as MTA cops surrounded them but took no action.
Activists demanding justice for the death of Eric Garner,stage a ‘die-in’ during rush hour at Grand Central Terminal.
The protesters later walked west on 42nd Street to Times Square, blocking westbound traffic – with cops escorting them but making no effort to corral them on the sidewalk.
Hundreds more gathered in Union Square and Times Square, carrying signs that said “Black lives matter,” “Fellow white people, wake up” and “Once again, no justice, ” and chanting slogans “I can’t breathe” and “Hands up, don’t shoot.”
Still more massed in downtown Brooklyn repeating another chant: “The cops, the court, the KKK, all a part of the bosses’ plan.”
And agitators wasted no time taking to social media to call for street protests – and violence – after the decision to clear Pantaleo. Twitter exploded with thousands of angry messages.
http://nypost.com/2014/12/03/protests-a ... ion-begin/
