Protesters Briefly Disrupt Queens-Midtown Tunnel, Burn U.S. Flag

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Queens-Midtown Tunnel was briefly shut down by protesters marching and carrying banners, in conjunction with Malcolm X Day.

Protesters were also captured on video burning a flag.

Keegan Stephan uploaded videos to Vine showing the protests and referencing Malcolm X Day. The protesters carrying a "Black Lives Matter" banner were seen shutting down the tunnel in the video and in photos released on Twitter.

The phrase "Black Lives Matter" has been used around the country in protests over unarmed black men killed by police, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Eric Garner on Staten Island, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore.

Video also showed protesters burning an American flag on Second Avenue and the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

Malcolm X Day honors the slain civil rights leader, who would have turned 90 on Tuesday. This past February would have marked 50 years since he was assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights – now known as the Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center.

Part of the Audubon Ballroom is now a memorial and educational center named after Malcolm X and his late wife Dr. Betty Shabazz, who fought to save the building. A program in honor of Malcolm X's memory was held at the center on Tuesday.