Hundreds of protestors marched through downtown Rochester late Friday afternoon.
It started around 4pm at the Liberty Pole , as part of an event that was scheduled prior to the Dallas shooting of police officers.
This rally and march was organized in conjunction with the Black Lives Matter movement, to respond to the fatal shootings of two African-American men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota earlier this week.
Some poets read to the crowd in Rochester, and then those involved in the rally started marching to St. Paul and Andrews Streets near the Transit Center and then over to Main & Clinton, causing some traffic tie-ups. They blocked traffic at Main & Clinton and also near Broad Street.
The march remained peaceful, and police for the most part, left the crowd alone, but did threaten arrests if they continued to block traffic. There was no immediate word of any arrests.
Some people involved in the rally said they planned to stay at the downtown site all night.
Earlier in the afternoon, Police Chief Michael Ciminelli, during a news conference, did indicate that with the tensions over Dallas he probably would have preferred the rally not be held on Friday, but he says if people want to exercise their First Amendment rights the RPD will facilitate that and protect them so that they can do that.
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