'Fire Pantaleo' chant interrupts Cory Booker opening remarks at presidential debate
Audience members interrupted opening remarks at the Detroit Democratic presidential debate Wednesday night with a chant of "Fire Pantaleo."
The chant refers to New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo, not charged in the chokehold killing of Eric Garner. It interrupted Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, but appears to be aimed at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Booker paused for several seconds while the chant continued.
Wednesday night's crowd stands in contrast to Tuesday's relatively tame audience, many of whom left early.
Members of the audience do not appear to be shy, cheering, hollering and whistling in response to remarks they support.
See the moment:
Protesters interrupted Sen. Cory Booker and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's #DemDebate opening remarks.
The protesters shouted, "Fire Pantaleo" — a reference to New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is accused of fatally choking Eric Garner. https://t.co/UMQCOEI9EB— CNN (@CNN) August 1, 2019
Protestors including @TamikaDMallory and @lindasarsour just physically removed protesting DeBlasio!!! #demdebate #demdebate2 pic.twitter.com/tTpm88UStZ
— Elyssa (@ElyssaK) August 1, 2019
Later in the debate, another chant interrupted former Vice President Joe Biden: "Three million deportations."
"3 million deportations" was the chant from a protester in the crowd, referencing the people deported under the Obama administration
— Melissa Gomez (@MelissaGomez004) August 1, 2019
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Democratic debate 2019: CNN Detroit debate interrupted by hecklers
