Protesters plan rally on how Black lives can’t breathe in New York

A diverse group of 11 Occu-Evolve organizers gathered at 60 Wall Street Atrium on Friday, April 10, and discussed plans for the upcoming protests. “We have been working with issues dealing with police violence and police brutality,” said Sumumba Sobukwe, 47, leader of Occu-Evolve. “We have members that are part of Stop Mass Incarceration Network that made the call for this citywide, national, international action.” Photo BY Deron Dalton — A diverse group of 11 Occu-Evolve organizers gathered at 60 Wall Street Atrium on Friday, April 10, and discussed plans for the upcoming protests. “We have been working with issues dealing with police violence and police brutality,” said Sumumba Sobukwe, 47, leader of Occu-Evolve. “We have members that are part of Stop Mass Incarceration Network that made the call for this citywide, national, international action.” Photo by Deron Dalton

Dr. Cornel West, co-founder of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, focused on ending police violence, called for a national day of action on Tuesday, April 14. Occu-Evolve, an organization focused on economic justice in New York, in solidarity with many other organizations is protesting police brutality.

Protesters are expected to rally outside of the New York Daily News at noon because the Daily News organized donations to the families of slain NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos exceeding the goal of $800,000, but not the families of slain New York Black men Eric Garner and Akai Gurley.

Garner died after NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in a chokehold in Staten Island on July 17. He was not indicted.

Protesters are expected to occupy the subways and march to Union Square at 2 p.m., and continue the protest against police brutality.

“We should not be fearing the cops when they are here to protect us… but you got some bad apples that’s involved in the police department,” said Joseph Sellman, 66, a member of Occu-Evolve. “And we need to weed them out.”