Thousands of demonstrators have gathered on Staten Island for a Saturday march in protest of the chokehold death of Eric Garner during an arrest attempt at the hands the NYPD last month.
Reverend Al Sharpton, who leads the proceedings, spoke at Mt. Sinai United Christian Church on Staten Island and called for a peaceful demonstration, the Associated Press reported.
Garner's widow, Esaw Garner, also called for peace as they march to "get justice" for her husband. Protesters will march beginning at 12 p.m. from the block where the unarmed black man died to outside the office of Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan.
Garner, a 43-year-old father of six, died July 17 after an NYPD officer placed him in a chokehold as he was heard shouting "I cant breathe," according to a video of the incident recorded by a witness.
The city medical examiner ruled Garner's death a homicide. So far no charges have been brought. Donovan brought the case to a grand jury this week.
In Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood, scores of supporters were seen riding buses to Staten Island for the "We Will Not Go Back" march.
"The reason I'm marching is because it's time for people of color to be recognized as human beings," Shirley Evans, 63, told the New York Daily News. "For years and years, we've been fighting for our rights.
"It's time we're seen as equals."
Other demonstrators were seen carrying signs that read "Hands Up, Don't Shoot," referring to the shooting death of Michael Brown, who was also black and unarmed, in Missouri that sparked days of ongoing rallies and protests. Members of Brown's family are expected to attend the march.
Sharpton, head of the National Action Network, said both shootings were a "defining moment" for policing across the country, the AP reported.
As a local investigation into Garner's death is underway, the U.S. Justice Department suggested it will most likely wait for the local results before deciding if civil rights charges should be brought, the AP reported.
