New Yorkers, outraged over the death of Eric Garner after being placed in an apparent chokehold by NYPD officers, took to the streets of Staten Island Saturday afternoon to vent their anger.
"How do you spell racist? N-Y-P-D!" they chanted as police officers stood silently nearby.
"No justice, no peace! No racist police!"
"N-Y-P-D! No more killing!"
Garner, an African-American, died Thursday afternoon as he was arrested for allegedly selling illegal cigarettes. A videotape of the encounter shows Garner being placed in a chokehold — a banned NYPD practice — before he ceased moving.
Prior to the march to the site of Garner's death, Rev. Al Sharpton, Garner's family, activists, and various New York politicians held a press conference at the Mount Sinai Center for Community Enrichment to condemn what they described as a systemic problem within the city's police department.
"If you say we just out here making trouble, just go to the tape! My message to the D.A. and the federal authorities is: Go to the tape! ... The tape speaks for itself!" Sharpton declared as the audience cheered. "The whole world is looking at Staten Island!"
The NYPD says it is investigating the incident.
View a segment of the Saturday march below.