A protest broke out in New York City Hall on Tuesday after members of the city council walked out of a weekly meeting to demonstrate against a grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown.
“Black lives matter in Ferguson, Missouri. Black lives matter in the stairwells of NYCHA communities. Black lives matter on the streets of Staten Island,” the council members said unison in the City Hall rotunda, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The protest was initiated by council member Andy King, co-chairman of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, who called for others to join the demonstration over the protests of Public Advocate Letitia James, according to Capital New York.
King and a dozen others marched down to the rotunda to deliver prepared remarks.
“In the most progressive city in America, in a body with 26 members of color, we refuse to move forward with business as usual,” the members said in unison, Capital reported.
“Not when Michael Brown’s parents will never taste real justice through the criminal justice system,” they said.