Thousands gathered in New York Thursday for a second day of protests after a grand jury announced its decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of 43-year-old Eric Garner.
Massive crowds of protesters demonstrated in Foley Square, in Lower Manhattan, as well as in major cities, including Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston and Washington.
The Garner decision came nine days after a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, chose not to indict police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Both of the officers were white, while those who were killed were black, heightening tensions between the black community and police.
Garner, who died on July 17, was placed in what appeared to be a prohibited chokehold by NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo before he was heard, on camera, repeatedly telling officers, "I can't breathe."
Protesters chanted Garner's last words as they took to New York's streets Thursday night in an attempt to address policing issues that have plagued the city for years.
"Our voices have to be heard, because there's been injustice twice in one week," Jasmine Taylor, an African-American woman from Harlem, told The Huffington Post. ""Enough is enough."
The grand jury decision sends a message that "it's okay for cops to shoots us, as long as they're cops," Taylor said.
The protests in New York were generally peaceful. Cops did not directly interfere and instead trailed behind protesters in cars. However, a line of police in riot gear protected the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, where protesters blocked traffic after last week's decision in Ferguson.
Adu Matory, a black 19-year-old who lives in Brooklyn, said he came to Thursday's protest "in light of recent events."
Matory said it seems like there's been a "snowballing" of injustice. He said he wasn't surprised at the decision in Garner's case, but added: "There's always a little bit of hope."
Take a look at some of the protests -- in New York and nationwide -- as demonstrations continue to unfold:
