ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — For the sixth consecutive night since news of Daniel Prude’s death first became public, protesters gathered in Rochester to demand justice.
Demonstrators gathered at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square in downtown Rochester at 7:30 p.m. to continue their calls for justice. Free the People ROC posted on Facebook Monday evening:
“Last night was a beautiful showing of love and solidarity. It’s clear proof that the violence committed by the Rochester Police Department over the past week was voluntary and unnecessary. Nothing changed about our planning or tactics. The only thing that changed was the police response.
Our movement continues — in spite of our grief, our trauma, and our exhaustion — until our demands are met. Lovely Warren and La’Ron Singletary are gaslighting the public and denying responsibility for their roles in Daniel Prude’s murder.
Warren and Singletary must resign. The officers involved in Prude’s killing must be fired and prosecuted. And the Rochester Police Department must be stopped from responding to mental health calls and defunded.
Until those demands are met, we will continue to march.”
Protesters started marching shortly after 8 p.m. and reached the steps of City Hall just before 9 p.m. where organizers announced their demands, including the firing and prosecution of the officers involved in Prude’s encounter with police, plus the resignations of Mayor Lovely Warren and Police Chief Singletary.
Around 9:06 p.m. protesters reached the Public Safety Building on Exchange Street.
For nearly an hour and a half, things remained peaceful with speeches and chants of solidarity among the crowd, but a standoff ensued shortly before 10:30 p.m. when police declared the gathering unlawful.
From there, a standoff ensued until 1 a.m. when protesters began to voluntarily disperse. Most of the night seemed peaceful, with no reported arrests or injuries at this time.
Live updates:
Monday’s event follows Sunday’s demonstration, which transpired peacefully, with no arrests or injuries reported — a drastic change from the days prior where police clashed with protesters.
Check back with News 8 WROC as we will continue to update this developing story.
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