New York Post reports. A crowd of protesters attempted to persuade the officers to let him go. But members of the New York Police Department used force on the crowd that had been peacefully gathering all day, according to marchers who documented the interactions on video that was posted to social media.“Videos posted online showed the police pushing through the crowd on motorcycles, as one officer was knocked to the ground,” The New York Times reports. “Protesters said the police used pepper spray.”The protesters chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot,” at the officers prior to the escalation. "We were dancing right in front of the arch on Fifth Ave.