VIDEO: 100 Black Lives Matter Protesters Shut Down NYC's George Washington Bridge
Police arrested six Black Lives Matter protesters Saturday after a crowd stalled traffic on the George Washington Bridge connecting New York City and New Jersey.
“Around 100 protesters took part in the rowdy, two-borough rally, first marching from The Bronx into Manhattan on the Cross Bronx Expressway,” according to the New York Post.
The group moved onto the upper level of the George Washington Bridge around 7:30 p.m. and blocked traffic for about 20 minutes before police arrived and dispersed them.
Pix11 shared an aerial photo of the bridge during the incident Saturday night:
#BREAKING Protesters occupy upper level of George Washington Bridgehttps://t.co/z4jH3NAMQRpic.twitter.com/Cr4ZPfLO8O
— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) September 13, 2020
The protesters also reportedly used large traffic cones to block the roadway and chanted, “No justice, no peace!”:
Last night on George Washington Bridge. pic.twitter.com/CgpzT5Zg46
— Ami Magazine (@Ami_Magazine) September 13, 2020
On what appeared to be his Instagram account, Chairperson of Black Lives Matter Greater New York Hawk Newsome shared video footage of protesters on the George Washington Bridge:
View this post on InstagramOur City!!!! GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE SHUT DOWN
A post shared by Hawk Newsome, J.D. (@hawk.newsome) on Sep 12, 2020 at 5:08pm PDT
“Our City!!!! GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE SHUT DOWN,” the caption read.
After crossing back into Manhattan, the group gathered outside the 34th Precinct in Washington Heights, the Post reported.
Newsome also shared video footage of the crowd and New York Police Department (NYPD) officers in riot gear outside the precinct:
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Hawk Newsome, J.D. (@hawk.newsome) on Sep 12, 2020 at 7:31pm PDT
The caption urged Instagram users to call the department until three of those arrested were freed:
“FREE THE TEAM!!! Pigs at the 34th are not picking up the phone. CALL UNTIL THEY DO FREE @elletravelsvegan @gabriel.himself @jamaicanwriterchick,” the post read.
Following clashes with police, officers dispersed the protesters around 10 p.m. and no injuries were reported, according to the Post.
During a protest in a residential area of Rochester, New York, on Saturday night, one man shouted, “There’s no such thing as a blue life!” through a bullhorn at a row of law enforcement officers, according to Breitbart News.
“Police pushed demonstrators back from the Rochester Public Safety Building, which has been the target of recent ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests over the death of Daniel Prude,” the report said.