Update 8:45 p.m. —
About 60 protesters continue to block Aurora Street in Ithaca Monday evening to traffic as part of a vigil to commemorate Freddie Gray, the Baltimore man who died in police custody in April.
It’s been over an hour since the protesters first began blocking the street outside of Simeon’s Restaurant. Most protesters are now sitting up after initially staging a “die-in” in which they lay on their stomachs or backs.
Some of the protesters are also taking turns reading poetry as part of an “open mic.” “A change is gonna come” was played over a set of speakers.
“I’m tired of being scared for my life, my father’s life, my brother’s life,” one person said.
Earlier —
Ithaca, N.Y. — A protest in Ithaca on Monday has closed off Aurora Street outside of the Commons to vehicle traffic.
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About two dozen protesters entered Aurora Street sometime around 7:35 p.m. Monday evening.
While in the street, they’ve called out the names of some of the black men who have been killed by police or died in police custody.
Ithaca police officers are on the scene. They are redirecting traffic away from Aurora Street up South Hill and toward Ithaca College. No arrests have been reported.
Closer to 7:50 p.m., some protesters chanted “No justice/No peace/No racist police.”
Earlier, event organizers said a vigil for Freddie Gray — a 25-year-old black man who died in police custody in April — would be held outside of Simeon’s Restaurant on the Commons.
The event is hosted by Queer Kids Care and Black Lives Matter.
Wrote the organizers of the event on Facebook:
“We will host vigils, sleet or shine, until justice is served for unarmed black people killed every 28 hours. At our vigils, we primarily represent people who have been murdered after Michael Brown Jr. in St. Louis, MO on August 9th.”
“We’re bringing awareness to the alarming rate at which unarmed POC are killed by the police.”
Check back for updates.