Benjamin Arthur, a 35-year-old optometrist from Brooklyn, said he was motivated to protest for the first time on Saturday with a crowd of doctors at Central Park because feeling afraid as a black man was a reality for him.
“I can’t hide behind my degrees when I’m stopped on the street by cops,” he said. “They don’t ask for my college degrees.” He said he hoped the demonstrations would lead to a rethink of how police are selected among applicants, for instance by testing for empathy, he said.
Mr. Arthur marched with protestors, many wearing medical uniforms, a few thousand deep on Fifth Avenue.
Tremaine Tinsley, 30, joined the march wearing a white medical coat with coworkers from North Shore Lenox Hill Hospital. He said Saturday was the first time they could join because they all work shifts that end past curfews.
“Forty years ago and fast forward to 2020, we are still having the same conversation,” the registered nurse said. “In America, they are limiting us because of our race. I want other people to know they can be” anything they want.
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