Metro

Staten Island lawmakers protest Sharpton’s Verrazano march

Staten Islanders are mounting a furious campaign to keep the Rev. Al Sharpton from leading a march across the Verrazano Bridge to protest the chokehold death of Eric Garner in police custody.

Two lawmakers on Wednesday called on the NYPD and the MTA, which controls the span, to block the planned Aug. 23 demonstration and prevent protesters from snarling traffic between Staten Island and Brooklyn.

City Councilman Steven Matteo (R-SI) tweeted that Sharpton’s plan would “set a precedent for closing the bridge for marches.”

Matteo and Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-SI) also demanded that Mayor de Blasio step in and relocate the march to “a safer less disruptive place” that won’t hurt the borough.

Borough President James Oddo tweeted: “We should be building bridges in our community, not marching over them.”

The 13,700-foot double-decked suspension bridge has no pedestrian walkways.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino called on Gov. Cuomo to exercise his authority over the MTA to bar the protest.

Verrazano BridgeTheodore Parisienne

“No one has the right to close public thoroughfares. Gov. Cuomo must deny Reverend Sharpton access to the bridge,” Astorino said in a statement.

An MTA spokesman said demonstrations are handled by the NYPD. The NYPD said that permission had been sought, but no decision has been made.

Law-enforcement sources, however, said police brass have “major concerns about pedestrian safety,” adding that a similar request by another unspecified group to march across the bridge was recently denied.

Reps for de Blasio and Cuomo didn’t return calls.

Two police union leaders who on Tuesday blasted Sharpton for stoking controversy over Garner’s July 17 death said they didn’t oppose the march.

“It is the police officers of the City of New York who work hard every day to ensure the rights of everyone to be heard in protest,” PBA President Pat Lynch said.

“We pride ourselves on protecting demonstrations whether we agree with them or not.”

But Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, called the planned march “a clear indicator that Sharpton is unwilling to let due process take place” regarding Garner’s fatal, caught-on-video arrest for selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island.

“This is almost like he’s stomping his feet to try to get his way. This matter is still under investigation,” Mullins said.

Sharpton side-stepped a question about whether he would march without official permits, saying: “The coalition and what the legal team does, in terms of permits, they will determine.”

Additional reporting by Georgett Roberts and Kirstan Conley