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Hundreds protest grand jury decision on Daniel Prude's death

The decision by a grand jury not to indict Rochester Police officers involved in the incident last March that eventually led to the death of Daniel Prude brought hundreds of protesters to different parts of the city on Tuesday night.

It started with speeches by activists and a gathering on Jefferson Avenue, where so many other protests started out last year. Jefferson Avenue is where Prude was pinned to the pavement by police after they responded to the reports of a man acting erratically. Prude suffocated after being held down by officers, and he died a week later.

The demonstrators on Tuesday night moved from Jefferson Avenue to a Rochester Police station at Child and Campbell streets. 

From there, the protesters walked onto a nearby ramp to I-490 and the highway was closed to westbound traffic for a time.

Eventually, the demonstrators gathered in front of the Public Safety Building, and then the protest circled around to the Civic Center Plaza and dispersed just before midnight.

There were no reports of arrests on Tuesday night. Protest leaders vowed to hold more demonstrations in the coming days.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.
Max Schulte is responsible for creating video and photo elements for WXXI News and its digital spaces. He also assists with news and public affairs coverage, digital-first video content, and studio productions.