Local Protests Continue Following Dallas Police Shootings
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Protests resumed in New York Friday evening, after the deaths of two black men at the hands of police in Minnesota and Louisiana.
As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, several groups of protesters were on the move as of 9 p.m. For the second day in a row, they held a rally in Union Square before hitting the streets to protest the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philado Castile.
Their message was the same as it was a day before -- calling on change from police and politicians after the fatal shootings by officers. A few hundred people came out the second day of protesting, despite some rain.
The shooting that killed five police officers and injured seven more in Dallas was also on the minds of people out here. Many say they don't condone retaliation as a way to get their message out.
"What once was non-violent protests appears to be violent, but that's not necessarily the case, and so I think it is still good that people are coming out here and showing that we aren't violent," said Sam Aleshinloye of Brooklyn. "We do want to just be heard."
"It's sad, because now you have people killing each other, and people think retaliating is going to comfort their pain, which it's not," said Shanique Lindsay of the Bronx.
Meanwhile, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported about 200 people had gathered for a march against police brutality on 110th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem. That group headed south down Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue and was headed to Times Square as of 9 p.m.
There were no reports of any arrests in the protests as of 9 p.m. Friday.
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Speaking at a news conference on Friday, both Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton encouraged protesters to express themselves and to "behave appropriately" in the "best interest" of civilians.
"Anyone who wants to exercise their First Amendment rights, we will defend that," de Blasio said. "But there needs to be, just some humanity here."
De Blasio stressed that "anybody who does not abide by the police will be arrested."
"We will ensure that their constitutional rights are protected but if they engage in significant acts that go outside those constitutional protections we will make arrests where appropriate," Bratton said.
There are also protests planned in Newark against recent fatal shootings of black men by police on Friday and Saturday.
Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose told NJ.com that police will make sure protesters are able to exercise their First Amendment rights. But he says police will make sure security is in place in case of any copycats.
Ambrose says police will only disrupt protesters if they damage property or injure people, something that hasn't happened in recent protests in the city.
Protesters marched from Union Square to Harlem in Manhattan last night. Cellphone video captured several people being handcuffed as they clashed with police, with 42 being arrested for disorderly conduct.
"We have cameras and we can see what's been happening," said Harlem resident Lisa Bacon. "What we all know has been the case for years, finally everyone else is realizing there is injustice that keeps happening."
In Newark, protesters also made their voices heard shouting 'hands up, don't shoot,' delaying NJ TRANSIT buses and blocking major roadways.
Their anger and frustration stemmed from the deaths of 32-year-old Castile, who was shot during a random police stop in Minnesota earlier this week. Diamond Reynolds started recording moments after police officers shot Castile, her boyfriend, during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights on Wednesday.
Two officers were also placed on administrative leave in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after cell phone video captured the moment 37-year-old Sterling was shot outside of a convenience store.
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