Protesters splash red paint on NYC streets to symbolize blood

Protesters in New York City gathered to demonstrate against the death of George Floyd for the 15th consecutive day on Thursday, leaving a trail of red paint on 5th Avenue to symbolize “blood on the streets.”

At least one of the protesters had a sign criticizing the New York City Police Department (NYPD) that read “The NYPD has blood on its hands,” according to the New York Post.

“We are marching for justice! We are marching for justice for black lives!” Shelby Brown, one of the leaders of the march, told the crowd, according to The New York Times.

At least one protester was arrested during the march for spray painting the letters “BLM,” which stand for Black Lives Matter, on a traffic sign. Others spilled cans of bright red paints on the streets as they marched from Harlem to Midtown Manhattan.

The protesters, who were demanding an end to police brutality following the death of Floyd, chanted the names of black people killed in encounters with the police.

Floyd’s May 25 death in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked massive protests in dozens of U.S. cities as demonstrators demand police reform and the defunding of police departments. 

Floyd died after a former police officer pinned him down with a knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes until he became unresponsive. Floyd was pronounced dead 90 minutes after he was arrested. 

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Sunday pledged to cut funding for the NYPD and reallocate it to youth and social services after facing mounting pressure from demonstrators. 

House Democrats introduced a bill this week that would ban chokeholds by police and repeal qualified immunity for officers, among other provisions. Republicans are drafting their own police reform legislation that has yet to be released.