Protesters brought traffic to a standstill on New York's Verrazano–Narrows Bridge on Monday morning for a demonstration over the death of Staten Island man Eric Garner.
Activists spanned the roadway holding signs with the names Eric Garner and Mike Brown and others that read "#ThisStopsToday" and "Black Lives Matter." While the protest was relatively small and lasted just seven minutes -- representing the seven minutes that the protesters said Eric Garner was left lying on the ground without medical attention -- traffic was unable to pass.
"They let Eric Garner lay there and die after he cried out 11 times that he couldn’t breathe. Now I’m in the street demanding justice, and I can’t leave," one protesters said in a statement attributed to the group and posted on a Tumblr blog.
We successfully #SHUTITDOWN on the Verrazano Bridge just now! #7minutes for #EricGarner #ThisStopsToday #NYC2Ferguson pic.twitter.com/Nvqja76r45— Ame 林 (@amehaya_) December 8, 2014
"If Staten Island is going to allow their cops to get away with murdering our people, then we refuse to allow all the officers who live in Staten to come terrorize the rest of our communities across the city,” added Aidge Patterson, a protester and organizer with Peoples’ Justice and Cop Watch, on the same statement.
Shutdown highway leading to Verrazano Bridge out of Staten Island #7minutes #EricGarner #ICantBreathe #ItStopsToday pic.twitter.com/a29jnyobZL— Aaron Cantú (@aaronmiguel_) December 8, 2014
Last week's decision by a grand jury not to indict a NYPD officer in Garner's death has ignited national protests. Public outrage has been fueled by a widely-shared video showing the officer restraining Garner in a chokehold as he repeatedly gasped, "I can't breathe."
Protesters shutting down Verrazano bridge for #ericgarner #7minutes #thisstopstoday pic.twitter.com/5u8XCTqlqs— Raven Rakia (@aintacrow) December 8, 2014
Some took to Twitter to express frustration with the protesters who hampered their morning commute.
Congratulations, everybody who needs to go to work; "protestors" who apparently don't have to go to work just shut down the Verazzano Bridge— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) December 8, 2014
Idc if you protesters protest in the city but get the fuck off the Verrazano, that's our only way in & out of the island #nycprotest— Kerri (@iamkerrixoxo) December 8, 2014
No protesters were reported arrested in the incident.