Protesters flood NYC in second night of demonstrations opposing ruling not to indict NYPD cop in Eric Garner's death

Thousands of protesters shut down traffic on Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, bringing rush-hour traffic to a standstill. Hundreds of demonstrators in Foley Square shouted 'Justice! Now!' and 'Black Lives Matter!' while holding signs revealing their anger toward a Staten Island grand jury. Another crowd of demonstrators staged a 'die-in' with mock coffins on Flatbush and Atlantic avenues outside Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

BY Chelsia Rose Marcius , Joe Stepansky , Bill Hutchinson , Kerry Burke

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Published: Thursday, December 4, 2014, 7:05 PM

Updated: Friday, December 5, 2014, 12:44 PM

A second day of rage erupted in New York City Thursday night, as scores of protesters shut down traffic on the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges to decry justice denied Eric Garner.

Thousands of protesters marched in the Brooklyn-bound lanes of the two East River spans bringing rush-hour traffic to a standstill about 7:30 p.m.

At one point, several thousand protesters were heading to the Brooklyn Bridge.

While more than 200 arrests were made on the night, for the most part police showed restaint and there were no reports of violence from protesters.

It was a second night of unrest sparked by the Staten Island grand jury’s decision Wednesday not to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the chokehold death of Garner.

Huge crowd decries injustice in a march across the Brooklyn Bridge Thursday night, following Wednesday's grand jury decision to clear Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of unarmed man Eric Garner.

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi — Marchers bear a black coffin marked with Amadou Diallo's name, and the names of others they feel were victims of police brutality, onto the Brooklyn-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge. Diallo, 23, of the Bronx, was shot 41 times in 1999 when police thought his wallet was a gun.

Constance Graham (center, striped cap), the mother of Ramarley Graham, 18, shot and killed by police in 2012, joins a march which began in Union Square and flowed across the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn on Dec. 4. — Constance Graham (center, striped cap), the mother of Ramarley Graham, 18, shot and killed by police in 2012, joins a march which began in Union Square and flowed across the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn on Thursday.

Protesters carry a banner as they march near the Brooklyn Bridge, which was shut down as demonstrators neared the span on Thursday.

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The Brooklyn Bridge march was led by Constance Malcolm — whose unarmed son, Ramarley Graham, 18, was shot to death by a cop inside his Bronx home in 2012.

“They killed my son in my home. He was no threat to anybody, they killed him just like that. Just like Eric Garner,” said Malcolm, still seething that a Bronx grand jury refused to indict the cop who shot her son.

“We have to let people know that we are here,” she said. “We are tired of this. We want to stand up. No more laying down.”

The crowd marched to Flatbush and Atlantic avenues near Barclays Center, where they staged a “die-in” with mock coffins emblazoned with the names of victims killed by cops.

View Gallery Protests erupt after Eric Garner grand jury decision

The demonstrators gathered just after sundown in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan to voice their outrage.

Protesters of all races chanted “Justice! Now!” and “Black Lives Matter!” Many held signs reading “The Grand Jury is a Fraud” and “Our Democracy Can’t Breathe!” in recognition of Garner’s last words — “I can’t breathe.”

Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in Union Square and began a peaceful march downtown to Foley Square. At first, they kept their march on the sidewalk, but spilled into the streets as the night went on.

By 6:30 p.m. demonstrators began marching from Foley Square through Lower Manhattan and toward the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Other protesters flooded the streets of Lower Manhattan, snarling traffic on multiple streets.

Police briefly prevented people from entering the Staten Island Ferry Terminal when protesters gathered outside, yelling at officers, “Who protects us from you?”

About 1,000 demonstrators briefly blocked the New Jersey-bound tube of the Holland Tunnel before being disbursed by police.

When protesters blocked the West Side Highway near Canal St., cops moved in and made several arrests, sources said.

Just after midnight, protesters tried to disrupt traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel, but their efforts were quickly quashed by police.

Protesters stop a police van on 7th Ave.

Guests look out of their hotel room as Keith Stephens chants with fellow protesters in Atlanta on Thursday.

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In Times Square, demonstrators swarmed the streets, chanting, “NYPD, KKK, how many kids did you kill today?” At least six people were arrested in Times Square.

Just before midnight, cops in riot gear formed a human chain in an attempt to clear 42nd St.

“All these cops were coming at us,” said S.A. Belton, 58, a Staten Island grandmother who was part of the portest on 42nd St. “They were like a wall, but they were grabbing people up. It was unbelievable.”

Police made several arrests on 42nd St. A law enforcement source told the Daily News cops pepper-sprayed at least one demonstrator after protesters hurled trash at officers.

Demonstrators gather in Foley Square to rally against a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner.

Protesters gather in Foley Square to rally against a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner.

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About 500 people staged a sit-down at Herald Square, raising their hands in a silent protest.

Cops collared a large group of protesters who conducted a sit-in on the Manhattan Bridge on their way back across the span to Manhattan. Those arrested broke into a protest song, singing “I still hear my brother crying, ‘I can’t breathe.’ Now I’m in the struggle saying I can’t leave. Calling out the violence of these racist police. We ain’t gonna stop ‘til people are free.’”

There was one report of vandalism to a Citibank at Broadway and Broom St., a law enforcement source said. It was unclear what damage was caused.

While continuing to call for calm, Mayor de Blasio encouraged the nonviolent demonstrations.

Maybe 4,000 protesters here at Foley Square. https://t.co/VgoW5z5yGw
— Ryan Beckler (@RyanBeckler) December 4, 2014

“All these things are happening right now because the people demanded it,” de Blasio said earlier Thursday. “Keep demanding it.”

The street actions followed a night of civil disobedience throughout the city that led to 83 arrests, mostly on charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic. Protesters blocked the West Side Highway and clogged streets in Times Square.

“I experience some of the same racism just walking down the street,” said Max Lewis, 27, of Queens, who was part of Thursday night’s Foley Square protest. “I've been pulled over by police while trying to parallel park in front of my own house.”

Like many New Yorkers, Lewis said he was shocked that the grand jury failed to indict, given the sickening cellphone video — first published on NYDailyNews.com — of Garner being put in a chokehold on July 17 and taken down for selling bootleg cigarettes.

“When you watch that video, if you don’t feel like that man (Garner) was innocent, if you don’t see that they kick him like he’s an animal, and leave him there to die like an animal, there’s no way you’re human,” Lewis said.

Dorothy Zelner, 76, of the Upper West Side said she was compelled by the Garner video to vent her outrage in the streets.

“If someone was in the subway yelling ‘I can’t breathe,’ 50 people would jump up to help,” Zelner said.

“I was part of the civil rights movement years ago,” she said. “This is 50 years later and we still have the same problems as we did then.”

Police arrest an angry protester on 57th St. in Manhattan early Friday morning.

Police arrest a protester on 42 St. on Thursday.

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As Thursday evening’s New York protest was getting underway, demonstrations were breaking out in other parts of the country.

In Washington, D.C., hundreds of people held a “die-in,” lying in the street less than a block from the White House, where a tree-lighting ceremony was taking place.

In Chicago, demonstrators caused the closure of Lake Shore Drive.

Protesters also took to the streets in Chicago, Boston, Baltimore and Atlanta.

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