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New York residents came out onto the streets last night in support of the city’s police officers – and wearing t-shirt emblazoned with ‘I Can Breathe’.
The phrase is a misappropriation of the last gasps of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo.
CCTV footage showed the father-of-six repeatedly telling officers: “I can’t breathe.” The phrase has now been taken up by demonstrators and protest against police brutality across the US.
Roughly 100 people gathered outside New York’s City Hall in the controversial clothing.
Show all 30 1 /30In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Protesters stand in Foley Square in New York City during demonstration against the chokehold death of Eric Garner
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests A protestor hold up her hands in front of the NYPD as she and others block traffic on the West Side Highway during demonstrations in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Police make an arrest as protesters rallying against a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner march through Midtown in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests New York City police officers push people out of an intersection in Times Square
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests A demonstrator is arrested during a protest following the decision by a Staten Island grand jury not to indict a police officer who used a chokehold on Eric Garner, who subsequently died, in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests A demonstrator is arrested during a protest
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests epaselect epa04515471 A woman reacts as New York City police officers push people out of an intersection in Times Square during a protest against the decision of a grand jury not to indict a police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests People march toward the West Side Highway during a protest in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests People march over the Brooklyn Bridge in protest against the decision of a grand jury not to indict a police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests People gather in front of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Buiding during a protest in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Police make arrests after protesters rallying against a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner attempted to block traffic at the intersection of 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue near Times Square in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Demonstrators stage a 'die-in' at an intersection during a demonstration against recent grand jury decisions not to indict police officers in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, in Boston, Massachusetts
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests A demonstrator protests recent grand jury decisions not to indict police officers in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, at Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Police struggle with protesters as they try to get closer to a building during a protest against the decision by a Staten Island grand jury not to indict a police officer who used a chokehold in the death of Eric Garner, in Boston, Massachusetts
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests State Police officers guard the State House during a protest against the decision by a Staten Island grand jury not to indict a police officer who used a chokehold in the death of Eric Garner, in Boston, Massachusetts
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests A protester dressed as Santa Claus holds up his hands while marching during a protest against the decision by a Staten Island grand jury not to indict a police officer who used a chokehold in the death of Eric Garner, in Boston, Massachusetts
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Protesters hold up their hands before police as they block traffic on the West Side Highway during demonstrations in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests The Lower Manhattan skyline, including One World Trade Center, is seen in the background as protesters, demanding justice for Eric Garner
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Demonstrators protest a grand jury decision not to charge a New York policeman in the choking death of Eric Garner, in New York
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests At the start of the march protestors walk down West Market street to Broad street. The Newark AntiViolence Coalition and the People's Organization for Progress march, in Newark, protest the Eric Garner Grand Jury decision not to indict the New York City Police Department officers for Grander's death
In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Police clash with protesters on the West Side Highway in New York after a grand jury decided to not indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo over the death of Eric Garner
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Demonstrators block traffic at 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in protest at the grand jury's decision
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Ashley Reid of Atlanta protests at historic Auburn Avenue near the tomb of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., against the decision of a grand jury not to indict a police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Protesters march near the Space Needle during protests in Seattle, Washington
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Demonstrators chant during protests in Seattle, Washington
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Students at Emory University participate in a mass 'die in' during a protest on campus against the decision of a grand jury not to indict a police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Students at Emory University participate in a mass 'die in' during a protest on campus against the grand jury's decision
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests People take part in a protest in support of Eric Garner at the 6th Avenue, New York
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests Demonstrators march in protest on the streets of St. Louis, Missouri
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In pictures: Protests over death of Eric Garner Eric Garner protests A man holds a banner as he takes part during a protest in support of Eric Garner at Union Square
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They were faced by almost 200 individuals who are calling for justice for Mr Garner after a grand jury elected not to prosecute Officer Panteleo.
Many wore the t-shirts that have become synonymous with the nationally protest-movement.
The news comes just days after it emerged a women near Chicago has filed a trademark for “I can’t Breathe”. Catherine Crump, 57, claims she does not intend to use the copyright for commercial purposes.
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