New York prepared for the funeral Friday of a man apparently inadvertently shot by a policeman in a dark stairwell, after further protests over a grand jury decision not to indict another officer for the chokehold death of an unarmed black man.
The city has seen two nights of largely peaceful demonstrations after no charges were brought against New York Police Department Officer Daniel Pantaleo for his role in a confrontation that killed Eric Garner, a father of six. A bystander recorded the incident on video.
The reaction to 43-year-old Garner's death echoes the outrage that followed a grand jury's decision not to indict another white policeman for killing an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has mounted a civil rights review of the Missouri shooting and promised a full investigation of the New York case.
Activists say the incidents are evidence of police mistreatment of members of minority groups, and cities across the United States, including Boston, Chicago and Washington, saw sympathy protests on Thursday.
Reverend Al Sharpton, a longtime civil rights leader, was expected to speak on Friday at the Brooklyn funeral of Akai Gurley, 28, who was killed last month in the dimly lit stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project by a rookie police officer who said his gun discharged accidentally.
New York police have largely tried to take a soft approach during this week's protests, steering marchers away from a nationally televised Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Wednesday, but otherwise allowing marchers to go their own way.
Tensions briefly erupted late Thursday in Times Square as about 3,000 protesters blocked a major interaction, chanting at police, "Who do you protect?"
Hundreds of officers responded, shoving protesters on to sidewalks. Dozens were detained, although police declined to provide exact tallies.
Sharon Gordon, 52, of Matawan, New Jersey, said she hoped politicians would take heed.
"There's been a confluence of social media and outrage," she said. "I do believe for the first time we're about to make a change."
In a sign of national concern about the issue U.S. President Barack Obama has tapped Philadelphia's top cop to recommend ways to rebuild public trust in police.
"There is a tension, there are real issues," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said in an interview. "They feel that the police service they are getting is not fair and not impartial. They lost faith in us to a large extent, and we've got to restore that."
REUTERS