MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th September, 2020) A group of naked protesters organized a silent demonstration in Rochester intended to symbolize the death of Daniel Prude, an African American man, who had a spit hood placed over his head when law enforcement officers were restraining him during a mental health crisis, local media report.
According to the Democrat and Chronicle daily newspaper, six naked or nearly naked protesters sat silently in front of Rochester's Public Safety Building on Monday. Some had Black Lives Matter written across their backs and all wore "spit hoods." According to video footage released earlier this month, police officers placed a spit bag over Prude's head after handcuffing him when they were responding to a 911 call back in March (Prude was in a mental health crisis and was running naked in the street).
After sitting unclothed on the pavement in the rain, the protesters were wrapped in blankets to symbolize the care that many find was lacking in law enforcement's treatment of Prude, the Democrat and Chronicle reported on Monday. The protest lasted 40 minutes, the same amount of time as the video footage of Prude being restrained by police. According to Prude's family, he died of asphyxiation on March 30.
On Sunday, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced police reforms in the city amid protests and calls for her resignation following the death of Daniel Prude.
"We had a human being in need of help, in need of compassion. In that moment, we had an opportunity to protect him, to keep him warm, to bring him to safety, to begin the process of healing him and lifting him up. We have to own the fact that in that moment we did not do that," Warren told reporters on Sunday. According to the mayor, there were plans to "reenvision our police department."
Warren said she was doubling the availability of mental health professionals in Rochester and was moving the family crisis intervention team out of the police department and to the Department of Youth and Recreation Services.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 people participated in protest action in Rochester, New York. According to police, no arrests and no injuries were reported during the fifth night of Rochester protests.
On Saturday, at least 1,500 demonstrators participated in a protest march in Rochester, throwing bottles, rocks and fireworks at law enforcement officers. According to police, pepper balls and tear gas were used to disperse the demonstrators on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that her office was moving to empanel a grand jury as part of the investigation into the death of Daniel Prude, which has sparked major protests in Rochester. Prude's family is calling for the police officers involved the death of the 41-year-old African-American to be fired and criminal charges to be filed. Earlier this month, Warren announced that she had suspended police officers suspected of being involved in the death of Prude.
