Parts of Broad St. were closed last night after students and community members gathered in protest of a Grand Jury decision not to indict an NYC cop after he killed a man with a restraining maneuver.
Parts of Broad St. were closed last night after students and community members gathered in protest of a Grand Jury decision not to indict an NYC cop after he killed a man with a restraining maneuver.
Richmond Police public relations officer James Mercante said there were no arrests and no injuries, but RPD and VCU police worked together to redirect traffic away from the protesters.
Protestors participated in a “die-in” (top image) in which people laid on the ground in the middle of Broad St. and faked death in honor of those who had died from police violence.
This past summer, Eric Garner was accused of selling loose cigarettes on the street in NYC’s Staten Island. Garner was approached by police officer Daniel Pantaleo, denied any wrongdoing, and was eventually put in a chokehold (or headlock, depending on who you ask). The headlock/chokehold move is banned by NYC police.
Most of the Garner incident was captured in the video below:
Yesterday, a Grand Jury found no evidence of Officer Pantaleo breaking the law and ended the investigation. The decision sparked protests nationwide, including here in RVA.
Have a look at some of the action from last night in Richmond in the videos below:
Brad Kutner
Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com
