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Protesters March From Hill District To Downtown, Disrupting Morning Commute

On Tuesday morning, the day after hundreds mourned for 17-year-old Antwon Rose, protests resumed, holding up the morning commute downtown.

People gathered at Freedom Corner in the Hill District before 7 a.m., then marched down Centre Avenue toward Downtown.

By 8 a.m., about 100 protesters had gathered outside of the Allegheny County courthouse. They chanted "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Steve Zappala has got to go," echoing sentiments from earlier rallies criticizing Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala

Zappala will ultimately decide whether to press charges against East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld who fatally shot Rose as he ran from a traffic stop last week.

At Tuesday's rally, activist Jasiri X said protesters will continue even if Rosfeld is charged for Rose's death, pointing out that a charge is not a conviction. 

Protesters paused for two days, Sunday and Monday, out of respect for Rose's family during his viewing and funeral services.

On Thursday, protesters shut down the Parkway East for more than five hours while demanding justice for Rose. They also marched downtown and shut down parts of East Carson Street on Saturday night

By 9 a.m. Tuesday, protesters were making their way down the Boulevard of the Allies. They eventually made their way to the City-County building where a number of local leaders and council members joined them, including Chelsa Wagner, Daniel Lavelle and Erika Strassburger, among others. 

State Rep. Jake Wheatley called for action, including reforms for police training and investigations of misconduct. 

"We're calling for the same thing if you are a stylist in a hair salon," he told the crowd. 

By about 10 a.m., protesters had planned to disperse. 

This is a developing story. 90.5 WESA will be updating it as new information becomes available. 

Patrick Doyle, Chris Potter and Sarah Kovash contributed to this report.