Thousands of union members, activists, parents and students rallied peacefully in Staten Island on Aug. 23 to call for justice in the case of Eric Garner, who died during an altercation with the police in July, and to bring the community together to heal and move forward.

“We did what no one has done before: we used this terrible incident as a teachable moment and turned this issue into a march supporting police and saying communities need to come together, work together and not be polarized,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “The UFT and our many partners made that happen.”

UFT members were joined at the march and rally by former Gov. David Paterson, representatives of Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, SEIU 32BJ, the NAACP and other labor, community and religious groups.

“This is about respect, dignity and healing,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten, who also attended.

The union contacted the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association prior to the rally to explain that the march would be supportive of police and was about bringing the community together, not pitting people against each other.

“And it turned out to be what we hoped it would be and more,” Mulgrew said.

Indeed, the rally has become an example of cooperation between police and demonstrators.

Edward Delatorre, the Staten Island assistant police chief, praised the gathering in remarks to the Staten Island Advance and other news organizations.

“It went terrific,” Delatorre said. “The community and police marched together. This was not a march against police. This was a march with the police. As you can see, when you do things together, it works overall. There were no incidents. Nobody got hurt. Nobody got arrested. We couldn’t ask for a better day.”

Garner was confronted by Staten Island police on July 17 for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. A video of the arrest and Garner’s cry of “I can’t breathe” have been shared widely on the Internet. The city’s medical examiner ruled that his death was a homicide caused by a chokehold and a compression of the chest. The NYPD has banned chokeholds since 1993.

Two police officers have been reassigned while an investigation is conducted. Daniel M. Donovan Jr., the Staten Island district attorney, has convened a special grand jury to hear the Garner case, which could result in criminal charges.