

Protests erupted through out New York City after a grand jury cleared a white police officer in the videotaped chokehold death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man stopped for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. One group of demonstrators gathered in Times Square and marched toward Rockefeller Center, hoping to disrupt the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Demonstrators shout slogans such as “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”, ”Black lives matter" and "I can't breathe!" as the marched uptown, but were blocked by NYPD officers with barricades. The protest remained mostly peaceful, but caused traffic gridlocks as protesters meandered across midtown trying to outmaneuver the police.