Over a dozen semi-naked protesters wearing “spit hoods” sat in protest at the entrance to Rochester’s City Hall on Thursday, following the death of Daniel Prude in police custody.
Protesters sat in front of the City Hall entrance on Church Street, with mesh coverings, known as “spit hoods,” over their heads, in reference to the way Prude was arrested and later died on 23 March, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
This comes just hours after hundreds of demonstrators swamped the streets for the eighth night in a row, officials said.
Prude, a 41-year-old black man, died after being detained by police who reportedly found him running naked in the street. The officers put a hood over his head to prevent him from spitting, and held him down for an estimated 2 minutes, according to reports.
He died a week later after having his life support removed.
His brother had phoned 911 to request help with Prude's erratic behavior. He told the officers that his brother had been taken to a hospital for mental health observation earlier that night, but had been released.
Prude's death was judged a homicide caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint", the medical examiner concluded. The report also cited excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine (PCP) as other contributing to his death.
Seven police officers were suspended following the incident. On Tuesday, Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito and two other commanders stepped down.
Two deputy chiefs and a commander ended their tenure in leadership positions, dropping to lower ranks within the force.
The outgoing chief said his critics were attempting to destroy his "character and integrity".
Prude's death and the subsequent protests come amid a wave of anti-racist and anti-police-brutality demonstrations breaking across the entire country, increasing with the death of George Floyd, another black male, at the hands of white police officers in Minneapolis.