Protesters Arrested at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: NYPD

Police say six demonstrators protesting a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the fatal shooting death of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, were arrested at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

 

Arrests are happening #nojusticenopeace #nyc #stoptheparade #handsupdontshoot #blacklivesmatter

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Six people were arrested near the parade barricades in the garment district just before the parade stepped off. Five were charged with disorderly conduct and one with unlawful assembly, police said. A seventh person was issued a summons for disorderly conduct. 

Their arrests come after some protesters allegedly tried to organize a disruption of the parade on social media using the hashtag #stoptheparade.

Several bystanders posted photos and video of the arrests.

Later Thursday, a small group of protesters gathered on the steps of the New York Public Library near the route, holding signs and chanting, "Hands up, don't shoot."

One, Katia Nicholas, told NBC News she had planned to hop the barricades with those who were cuffed, but said she didn't want to be arrested.

"From what I heard, police didn't give any warning, they just started handcuffing people," she said.

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Before the arrests, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said that the NYPD wouldn't tolerate any attempts to disrupt the parade.

"We will not tolerate, under any circumstances, any effort to disrupt this parade," police Commissioner William Bratton said earlier Thursday. "This is a national event, a historic event. Anybody who would seek to interrupt it would be callous, indeed, on this very special day."

Thousands of protesters took to New York City streets on Monday and Tuesday after a grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.

Ten protesters were arrested in Times Square on Tuesday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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