New York ( CNN ) -- Thousands of protesters rallied Saturday on a New York street where Eric Garner , an unarmed black man , died after a white police officer put him in a chokehold , sparking national outrage just weeks before Michael Brown was shot to death by a police officer in Ferguson , Missouri . The two cases thrust into the forefront the issues of law enforcement 's use of deadly or life-threatening force and police relations with the communities they are sworn to serve . On Saturday , as former classmates at the Normandy High School football game in Ferguson held a moment of silence for Brown and the local NAACP led a march calling for justice , demonstrators gathered more than 900 miles away on the Staten Island street where Garner died . The `` We Will Not Go Back March '' was led by the Rev . Al Sharpton 's National Action Network , whose members also participated in demonstrations in Ferguson . At times , the Missouri protests erupted into looting and clashes with law enforcement officers . Organizers said thousands participated in the New York march and rally -- during which no arrests were reported . `` I have seven grandsons , '' said a marcher who identified herself only as Diane and said Eric Garner was her friend and neighbor . `` I do n't want what happened to Eric and Michael Brown to happen to them . '' The march started on the street where the 43-year-old , 350-pound Garner crumbled after being placed in a chokehold during a confrontation with the police for allegedly selling cigarettes illegally . It proceeded to the office of the county district attorney , where a grand jury is to consider evidence in the death . `` We are here looking for justice , '' Staten Island resident Kim Jenkins said . Demonstrators carried signs with messages such as `` Justice for Eric Garner , '' `` Black Lives Matter '' and `` Hold Killer Cops Accountable . '' Speakers cited a litany of names of men and woman who died at the hands of police throughout the country . The marchers included members of New York labor unions and local politicians . Kadiatou Diallo recalled the day her unarmed 22-year-old son Amadou who was killed in February 1999 in a hail of 41 bullets fired by four police officers in the Bronx . He was struck 19 times . Before the rally , she met relatives of Eric Garner , including his wife . `` It is not a black and white , '' Diallo told the crowd . `` We are not against the police , the NYPD or the police nationwide . It is about wrong . ... We have to stop this . Too many tears . Too many victims . '' Former New York Gov . David Paterson told demonstrators : `` We will not stop until somebody goes to jail . '' During his fatal police encounter , Garner raised both hands in the air and told the officers not to touch him . Seconds later , a video shows an officer behind him grab him in a chokehold and pull him to the sidewalk , rolling him onto his stomach . `` I ca n't breathe ! I ca n't breathe ! '' Garner said repeatedly , his cries muffled into the pavement . The cause of Garner 's death was `` compression of neck ( chokehold ) , compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police , '' said Julie Bolcer , a spokeswoman for the medical examiner 's office . The death was ruled a homicide . Acute and chronic bronchial asthma , obesity and hypertensive cardiovascular disease were listed as contributing factors in a controversial death that fueled anti-police demonstrations and calls for a federal charges against the officer . The video showed Garner lying on the ground motionless after he was taken down . An asthmatic and father of six , Garner was later declared dead at a nearby hospital . Officer Daniel Pantaleo , who is seen on the video choking Garner , was put on modified assignment and stripped of his badge and gun amid the investigation , the New York Police Department said . A second police officer was placed on desk duty . The chokehold is prohibited by the NYPD . Two EMTs and two paramedics also were suspended without pay , according to Erika Hellstrom , vice president of development at Richmond University Medical Center . Police Commissioner William Bratton ordered an extensive review of the NYPD 's training procedures after Garner 's death . The U.S. Justice Department has said it is monitoring the investigation . If local prosecutors decline to file criminal charges , the department could conduct an investigation into whether the victim 's civil rights were violated . Opinion : The signal Ferguson sends about America . Chokehold death leads police to review training procedures . CNN 's Lawrence Crook III contributed to this report .
Scores of protesters to rally on New York street where unarmed man died . The NYPD said the man, identified as Akai Gurley, 28, was shot by a police officer after he refused orders to drop his knife. Deaths have thrust into the forefront the issues of force , community relations .