'Fight the Good Fight': Daniel Prude’s Brother Addresses Rochester Protesters

Protesters in Rochester, New York, rallied for the sixth straight night on September 7 in response to the death in May of Daniel Prude, after he was arrested and restrained by police.

Daniel Prude’s brother, Joe, spoke to protesters outside the city’s Public Safety Building, praising them for their peaceful action. He called for the resignation of every member of the police executive team, describing his brother’s death as an “assassination”.

“Let’s continue to love each other, and let’s continue to fight the good fight,” he said.

Also that night, a standoff between protesters and police lasted nearly three hours but ended peacefully despite law enforcement officials declaring an “unlawful gathering”, local media reported.

There have been protests in Rochester since the release of video from March 23 showing how officers, responding to a mental health wellness call made by Daniel Prude’s brother, handcuffed him naked, placed him in a “spit hood”, and pressed his head to the pavement.

A week later, on March 30, Prude was taken off life support and declared dead. New York State Attorney General Letitia James said that a grand jury would be convened to investigate Prude’s death. Credit: Genevieve Rand via Storyful