STATEN ISLAND — About 30 demonstrators briefly blocked a major roadway leading to the Verrazano Bridge during Monday morning's rush hour to protest a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer for the death of Eric Garner, police said.
The protest stretched across the Staten Island Expressway near Fingerboard Road about 9:30 a.m. with black banners with white text that read "Eric Garner," "#ThisStopsToday" and "Mike Brown," according to police and photos from the scene.
Garner was killed in July when an NYPD officer, who was arresting him for selling loose cigarettes, wrapped his arm around Garner's neck in an apparent chokehold.
The jury's decision sparked a wave of protests in New York and throughout the country.
The Monday protesters, who left about 10 a.m., meant for the brief demonstration to symbolize the length of time Garner lay unconscious without medical attention after the chokehold, according to a Tumblr post connected to the demonstration.
No one was immediately arrested, an NYPD spokeswoman said.
