By: Denis Cyr
The NYPD quickly broke up and shut down a BLM related protest Saturday night in the East Village, surprising many with their swift action and aggressive crackdown.
The NY Times reported: a spokeswoman for the Police Department said that officers were responding to a “large disorderly group obstructing vehicular traffic.” She said that 12 people were taken into custody and eight were given tickets for disorderly conduct. The spokeswoman confirmed that officers had initially responded to the park after receiving noise complaints about loud music.
After several months of essentially a hands-off approach, as protestors dominated streets, and in the early stages of the George Floyd protests, looted, and caused damage, even aggressively attacking officers; this swift approach was welcomed by many.
“The protesters — had been gathered on the sidewalk and a pedestrian island on Hudson Street near 10th Street,” according to the New York Post.
Far left progressive, Corey Johnson, the New York City Council speaker, said on Sunday that the police officers’ actions in the West Village were “unacceptable.” Many were surprised to see the police shut down a BLM related event, after months of the Mayor embracing any form of street protest. Saturday’s police actions were reminiscent of how Giuliani handled the city.
The NY Times reported: at the protest at Washington Square Park on Saturday, which featured arts and crafts, music and dancing, organizers said they were trying to bring awareness to efforts to get justice for Breonna Taylor.
David Ortiz, 28, one of the organizers, said the event had been going for about three hours when a huge group of police officers arrived and seized D.J.’s equipment.
After the gathering in the park was shut down, the group decided to march toward the Sixth Precinct station house a few blocks away, stopping at restaurants to tell patrons and owners what occurred and to ask for their help. When they reached the corner, police officers had surrounded the intersection, and began to make arrests.
Is this a sign that the NYPD has had enough of social justice protests, which often block traffic and sometimes are aggressive and violent? After months of chaotic scenes coming out of Portland, Seattle, Kentucky, etc., the NYPD is taking a proactive approach to shut down BLM events. With people fleeing the City, BLM losing support rapidly, it seems the NYPD was acting on behalf of what many have been wishing would happen: rapid action against BLM insurrectionists.
