Black Lives Matter activists marched through the streets of Rochester Tuesday as they marked the one-year anniversary of Daniel Prude's ultimately fatal encounter with city police.
Protesters march down East Ave to Wegmans @rgorbman @WXXINews @rbs_media pic.twitter.com/7eqD0b2GVY— Max Schulte (@maxrocphoto) March 23, 2021
Chanting "no justice, no peace," about 100 people first gathered at Parcel 5. The protesters then marched to the RTS terminal on St. Paul Street, blocking buses from entering and leaving the terminal. Free The People ROC, the group leading the protests, told WXXI News that they planned to be at the terminal all day, but were offering transportation to those who need it. RTS locked the doors with handcuffs to deter the protesters from entering.
Protesters at Wegmans- Wegmans has locked up the store @WXXINews @rgorbman @rbs_media pic.twitter.com/PMba2ctqjq— Max Schulte (@maxrocphoto) March 23, 2021
The protesters moved down Main Street and then to East Avenue, ultimately ending their march in the Wegmans parking lot. Wegmans locked the store around 11 a.m., and protesters set up a table in the parking lot. Some wrote messages with chalk on the blacktop outside the store’s entrance.
The protesters continue to call for the firing of the officers who restrained Prude during his March 23, 2020, mental health arrest. He died a week later.
Just after noon, Wegmans tweeted that, "Our East Ave. store in Rochester, NY is currently closed due to protest activity taking place outside of the store. At this time, no customers remain in the store, and the doors will remain closed. Our number one priority is the safety of our employees and customers.”
Wegmans later announced the East Avenue store would reopen on Wednesday at 6:00 a.m.
A section of East Avenue between Winton Road and Colby Street was also blocked off to traffic.
Organizers celebrated Prude's life Tuesday night on Child Street by eating his favorite foods and dancing to the music he liked.
Copyright 2021 WXXI News
