Sixth Night of Protests in Rochester Leads to Tense Standoff With Police

A standoff between protesters and police in Rochester, New York, that lasted nearly three hours ended peacefully despite law enforcement officials declaring the September 7 rally an “unlawful gathering”, local media reported.

Earlier, protesters took to the streets for the sixth straight night of demonstrations in response to the death of Daniel Prude, whose death in Rochester in late March came to national attention upon the release of police bodycam videos in September.

The footage from March 23 showed how officers, responding to a mental health wellness call made by Prude’s brother, handcuffed the naked man, 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 the same day. New York State Attorney General Letitia James said that a grand jury would be convened to investigate Prude’s death.

This footage shows a cordon of police standing opposite a chanting group of protesters outside Rochester’s Public Safety Building. Credit: bajanboy03 via Storyful