Protestors block FDR Drive traffic as officer in Eric Garner death faces NYPD trial

NEW YORK — Protestors demanding that the officer accused in Eric Garner’s 2014 chokehold death be fired blocked traffic on the FDR Drive during the rush-hour commute Monday morning.

Despite below average temperatures and rain, protestors were seen using their bodies and a large banner to block vehicles as of 9:25 a.m.

The protest was planned in order to demand Officer Daniel Pantaleo be fired.

Garner was the unarmed black man whose pleas of “I can’t breathe” became a rallying cry against police brutality across the country.

Nearly five years after his death, Pantaleo’s long-delayed disciplinary trial is set to begin Monday. The officer could face penalties ranging from the loss of vacation days to firing if he’s found to have violated department rules. He denies wrongdoing, arguing he used a different technique taught in police academy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.