BLM protesters mob grocery store, trap customers inside

Protesters chanted phrases such as "Black Lives Matter," with one being heard yelling "we have a long walk today, we're shutting shit down."

The demonstration began at 8:00 am on Tuesday, with protesters blocking roads as they marched through the city's downtown. By 11:00 am, they had reached the supermarket Wegmans.

The protesters held signs referencing Daniel Prude, a black man who died while while in custody of the Rochester Police Department. The activists gathered to commemorate the one year anniversary of Prude's death, dubbing it "Daniel's Day."

"We join the Prude family in calling for a day of action and remembrance on the one year anniversary of Daniel Prude’s murder by the RPD. Call out of work, walk out of class, and join us in the streets to demand justice for Daniel Prude," the organizers wrote in a Facebook post.

Police apprehended Prude after he was seen walking around naked in the streets of Rochester. After Prude spat on officers, police placed a spit bag over his head and restrained him on the ground. According to an autopsy, he died of asphyxiation.

According to the police report, "[the paramedic] stated that the observations of the subject were that he could be experiencing 'excited delirium,' which she described as a condition in which the subject is experiencing agitation and aggression; increased heart rate and respiration; overheating — which she stated would explain the subject being naked on a night when temperatures were around 32 degrees and mixed snow and precipitation — sweating, flushed appearance; excessive strength, a high tolerance for pain and incoherent speech."

Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James announced in February that a grand jury chose not to press charges against the officers involved in Prude's death.

Shoppers at the Wegmans store found themselves shuttered inside the building as activists stood outside holding doors closed and chanting slogans. Protesters parked vehicles in front of the store's entrance and could also be herd banging on the windows of the supermarket.

According to protest organizer Ashley Gantt, "the officers that killed Daniel Prude don't live in our community; they live in the suburbs and out here."

"Wegmans is a system that upholds white supremacy," Gantt claimed.

Wegmans was eventually able to get the customers out of the store, announcing over Twitter that they were closing for the rest of the day.

Some criticized Rochester's police force and government for allowing the protest to continue, with local radio host Bob Lonsberry saying "The Rochester Police Department is just watching and letting it happen. I guess fire codes and trespassing aren't things in Rochester anymore. What an embarrassing day for the city and the PD."

"Allowing the mob to shut down the East Ave [Wegmans], trapping at least a hundred people, is an immoral failing by the mayor [and police]," he said in a tweet.