Hundreds gather in Manhattan to protest police violence

Hundreds gathered in New York City on Sunday to march against police violence following the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, as other protests occurred across the country.

Flanked by police officers, the demonstrators began the event in midtown Manhattan’s Times Square, pausing at Bryant Park and Herald Square before finishing the march in Union Square.

Protesters in NYC are marching against police violence. Follow @NewsHour's coverage on Snapchat (username: pbsnews) pic.twitter.com/5PKxvM82QX

— Beth Ponsot (@bponsot) July 10, 2016

At each stop, participants were invited to address the crowd. Multiple speakers stressed the need for an inclusive movement to help generate pressure from different demographics.

Marchers raise their arms in solidarity while walking towards Union Square. Photo by Dan Moritz-Rabson/PBS NewsHour Weekend

Many marched with fists raised or carried hand-made signs with phrases including “They rarely shoot old white guys like me,” “Silence is complicity” and “We, too, are America.”

Lauren Broussard, 32, speaks to the hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Union Square. Photo by Dan Moritz-Rabson/PBS NewsHour Weekend

At Union Square, organizer Tahirah Sharif stressed that she wanted the march to remain peaceful.

“We will not have what has been happening on the television at other protests,” Sharif said. “We will not have arrests. We will not have fighting, or anything of the like. We are here to peaceful, and that is it.”

Owen Williams, 22, addresses the crowd outside Herald Square in New York City. Photo by Dan Moritz-Rabson/PBS NewsHour Weekend

Rich Rodriguez, 28, who lives in Washington Heights, expressed uncertainty about how to best galvanize reform.

“The problem with massive change is that a lot of people are afraid. A lot of people are afraid that if they speak up, that they will be executed, they will be harassed,” he said.

Demonstrators hold a banner as a crowd forms in Union Square toward the end of the march in Manhattan. Photo by Dan Moritz-Rabson/PBS NewsHour Weekend

Still, Rodriguez praised the quick mobilization following the recent deaths.

“This is a good start. To have people on the street at ground level is a good start,” he said. “But we need more radical change. And how that comes about is still under debate.”