Dueling Protests For, Against NYPD Face Off Outside City Hall
December 19, 2014 10:56 PM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Demonstrators gathered at City Hall in support of the NYPD Friday evening, but they were met right away with a rival demonstration by critics of police policies.
A pro-police rally organized by a Facebook group called “Thank You NYPD” was held as a counterpoint to the recent protests against police brutality. As CBS2’s Matt Kozar reported, supporters gathered under the hashtag #BlueLivesMatter, and about 75 pro-police demonstrators were at the scene as of 5 p.m. Friday.
Organizers said they’re showing support for the “Brave women and men who keep the streets of New York safe and risk their lives doing so.”
But neither police Commissioner Bill Bratton nor police unions endorsed the rally, reportedly out of concerns about violence.
The pro-police demonstrators said police officers are being unfairly maligned. They said police officers saved lives amidst the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and also rushed in to save people during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
“Obviously, there is something wrong. That’s why we’re all here. We’re all trying to figure out what the anti-cop side of this whole thing seems to be really brazen and brash; I mean, now, people are attacking cops for no blatant reason,” a man said as he expressed support for the police.
Police supporter Philip McManus of Queens said he wanted to balance out the dialogue.
“I do believe that the silent majority needs to get off the couch and they need to get involved, and they need to stand up for law and order,” he said.
Meanwhile, about 100 demonstrators gathered for a counter-protest called “No Thank You, NYPD” to demonstrate against the pro-police rally.
“What happened with the grand juries for Mike Brown; for Eric Garner, the cops got off scot free,” said one woman who was protesting against police policies. “And as long as they can get off scot free and do what they do without impunity, this war is going to continue to happen, and people are saying, ‘Enough is enough.’”
As WCBS 880’s Jim Smith reported, the pro-police supporters chanted, “blue lives matter.”
“I believe that I have a right to speak just like anybody else,” one supporter said.
Police kept the two groups separated by metal barriers. Across a 10-foot wide no man’s land between the barriers, protesters fired back, “black lives matter.”
“Why are we saying that? Because it appears, in this city, that it doesn’t matter,” a protester said.
There were also a number of verbal confrontations between protesters and police supporters, but no physical confrontations, Kozar reported.
Around 6 p.m., the anti-police protesters moved out of City Hall Park for the first of several marches, and marched up Broadway, across Chambers Street, and along Nassau Street around City Hall.
The anti-police protesters later began marching took over part of the Brooklyn Bridge. Traffic was initially still moving on the bridge, but at a slowed pace.
But police shut down the Manhattan-bound side of the bridge for a period of time around 7:45 p.m.
Some sign-throwing and some pushing and shoving had been observed on the Bridge at the Park Row entrance, but there had been no arrests as of mid-Thursday evening. Police appeared to be trying to push the protesters off the bridge and back onto Park Row, CBS2’s Joe Biermann reported.
The anti-police protesters later returned to City Hall Park, where some protesters were heard chanting, “Commies go home.”
Protesters against police policies later resumed marching, heading down Fulton Street against traffic and passing through Chinatown. They chanted, “If we don’t get no justice, then you don’t get no peace.”
There were no arrests reported during the protests Friday evening.
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| Anti-racist police demonstration in New York City has drawn thousands. |
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Demonstrators gathered at City Hall in support of the NYPD Friday evening, but they were met right away with a rival demonstration by critics of police policies.
A pro-police rally organized by a Facebook group called “Thank You NYPD” was held as a counterpoint to the recent protests against police brutality. As CBS2’s Matt Kozar reported, supporters gathered under the hashtag #BlueLivesMatter, and about 75 pro-police demonstrators were at the scene as of 5 p.m. Friday.
Organizers said they’re showing support for the “Brave women and men who keep the streets of New York safe and risk their lives doing so.”
But neither police Commissioner Bill Bratton nor police unions endorsed the rally, reportedly out of concerns about violence.
The pro-police demonstrators said police officers are being unfairly maligned. They said police officers saved lives amidst the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and also rushed in to save people during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
“Obviously, there is something wrong. That’s why we’re all here. We’re all trying to figure out what the anti-cop side of this whole thing seems to be really brazen and brash; I mean, now, people are attacking cops for no blatant reason,” a man said as he expressed support for the police.
Police supporter Philip McManus of Queens said he wanted to balance out the dialogue.
“I do believe that the silent majority needs to get off the couch and they need to get involved, and they need to stand up for law and order,” he said.
Meanwhile, about 100 demonstrators gathered for a counter-protest called “No Thank You, NYPD” to demonstrate against the pro-police rally.
“What happened with the grand juries for Mike Brown; for Eric Garner, the cops got off scot free,” said one woman who was protesting against police policies. “And as long as they can get off scot free and do what they do without impunity, this war is going to continue to happen, and people are saying, ‘Enough is enough.’”
As WCBS 880’s Jim Smith reported, the pro-police supporters chanted, “blue lives matter.”
“I believe that I have a right to speak just like anybody else,” one supporter said.
Police kept the two groups separated by metal barriers. Across a 10-foot wide no man’s land between the barriers, protesters fired back, “black lives matter.”
“Why are we saying that? Because it appears, in this city, that it doesn’t matter,” a protester said.
There were also a number of verbal confrontations between protesters and police supporters, but no physical confrontations, Kozar reported.
Around 6 p.m., the anti-police protesters moved out of City Hall Park for the first of several marches, and marched up Broadway, across Chambers Street, and along Nassau Street around City Hall.
The anti-police protesters later began marching took over part of the Brooklyn Bridge. Traffic was initially still moving on the bridge, but at a slowed pace.
But police shut down the Manhattan-bound side of the bridge for a period of time around 7:45 p.m.
Some sign-throwing and some pushing and shoving had been observed on the Bridge at the Park Row entrance, but there had been no arrests as of mid-Thursday evening. Police appeared to be trying to push the protesters off the bridge and back onto Park Row, CBS2’s Joe Biermann reported.
The anti-police protesters later returned to City Hall Park, where some protesters were heard chanting, “Commies go home.”
Protesters against police policies later resumed marching, heading down Fulton Street against traffic and passing through Chinatown. They chanted, “If we don’t get no justice, then you don’t get no peace.”
There were no arrests reported during the protests Friday evening.
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