Thousands turn out for march against the NYPD

Hundreds of protesters boarded buses bound for Staten Island Saturday morning for a march against the NYPD.

Spearheaded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, marchers got on buses in Harlem and Brooklyn to travel to the site of Eric Garner’s death at Bay Street and Victory Boulevard.

Protesters are expected to march past the office of Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, who has decided to let a grand jury decide whether to criminally charge the officers involved in Garner’s death.

Akquan Ar-Raheem, 60, came from New Brunswick, New Jersey to hop on board a “Justice Caravan” at the Harlem headquarters of Sharpton’s National Action Network.

“I want to see change,” the mechanic said. “People went before us to effect change, but it isn’t happening. They are taking us backwards. I had to come, no matter where, or how far. The struggle is still going on. I had to be a part of it.”

Edina Stacey, 27, got up at 5 a.m. to get from her Bronx home to a NAN bus by 7 a.m. and says for her, Sharpton’s “We Will Not Go Back” march is personal.

“I came here because my own brother was harassed and brutalized by police,” the administrative assistant said. “I’m here to make a difference peacefully.”

Garner’s relatives as well as former Gov. David Paterson are expected to attend the noon march and rally.

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