Hundreds marched over the Williamsburg and Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridges Friday night in support of the rally held in Washington D.C. for the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech and to continue the Black Lives Matter movement against racial inequality in America.

The marches was peaceful; there were no arrests or reports of looting or violence related to any of the protests Friday night. Organizers were quick to discourage any illegal activity to prevent their message from being undermined by violence.

The 57th anniversary of March on Washington, which included MLK’s famous address, comes amid a summer of nationwide protests and civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, sparking national outrage and violent demonstrations.

Tensions flared again this week after Kenosha, Wisconsin police shot an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back as he headed to his vehicle. Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Demonstrators walked through Manhattan from Brooklyn in support of Black Lives Matter, here through Little Italy as people dined. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
Demonstrators walked through Manhattan from Brooklyn in support of Black lives Matter, here through Little Italy as people dined. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

Long lines of police vehicles followed the protestors into Manhattan, but did not interfere with the two groups who unlike past demonstrations, did not cause any significant issues other than minor traffic snarls.

The mostly young demonstrators held signs and shouted Black Lives Matter slogans as diners in Little Italy waved and cheered.

“I think they are okay to demonstrate as long as they aren’t causing damage or hurting anyone,” said Francine Gomez, dining with friends at a Little Italy restaurant. “I support their right to protest, but they need to be peaceful, and these people seemed to be.”

The protesters converged at Madison Square Park with groups that walked from McCarren Park across the Williamsburg Bridge, and from Queensbridge Park across the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

Earlier in the day, about 100 protestors from CUNY schools, organized by Mobilize NYC, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge footpath to Foley Square where they held a rally in support of the Washington rally to commemorate the “I Have a Dream,” speech. Mobilize NYC is a collective of non-profit attorneys, activists, artists who they say, “just want to make a difference.”

They marched past City Hall Park, still surrounded by metal barricades a month after it was cleared of demonstrators and homeless who had been camped out there for more than a month.

A CUNY Group celebrates MLK anniversary speech by marching over Brooklyn Bridge. (Photo by Todd Maisel)