Their grievances stem from two issues. One, alleged police brutality against New Yorkers including a group of teenagers who officers were seen fighting with in a recent viral video.
The other issue is that police have vowed to create 500 additional jobs specifically for officers to monitor the subway network and arrest anyone who jumps the barriers rather than pay the $2.75 fee.
Over the last month. several videos have emerged of NYPD cops violently arresting seemingly nonviolent subway riders.
One, which circulated last week, showed them pounding on the windows of a subway car, waiting for the doors to open, before rushing on board, tackling the man to the ground. It is unclear why he is wanted. He had his hands in the air for several minutes before they arrested him and bystanders say the officers drew their guns.
About a thousand protesters gathered in Downtown Brooklyn Friday night to protest recent NYPD actions seen as being use of excessive force and planned crack down on fare evasion
The protesters started gathering at about 7pm and unfurled signs including this one, referencing a recent subway brawl between officers and teenagers at a Brooklyn station
Protesters were said to have demonstrated for about two hours before disbanding
A shot of the mass of people who were seen marching in Brooklyn, blocking traffic for hours
The demonstration was said to have been brought on in part by two headline-grabbing incidents involving the NYPD that occurred on October 25 at different Brooklyn subway stations, which drew accusations of excessive force by police
A video of the first incident showed at least 10 police officers storming onto a stopped subway car and tackling an apparently unarmed black man inside, sparking accusations of excessive force.
The 19-year-old, who had his hands up and was seated at the time of the incident, was thought to have had a gun, but did not. He was later charged with theft of services.
The second incident involved two groups of teenagers who were said to have been fighting on the platform. In the course of breaking up the fight, a police officer was caught on camera punching two black teens.
One of the teens was 15-year-old Benjamin Marshall, who was punched in the face. His lawyer said Tuesday that his family intends to file a $5million lawsuit against the officer and the NYPD, according to the
New York Daily News.
Marshall 'was the straw that broke the camel’s back,' one protester told the New York Post Friday. 'I mean, it’s monstrous. My f**king tax dollars are going to this? It doesn’t make sense.'
Protesters also complained about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's recent decision to add 500 new officers to NYPD's force to patrol the transit system and root out fare evaders.
Protesters were also seen waving signs targeting new plans to add 500 more police officers to the force to police the transit system for fare evaders
Police said the protest was not violent and that nobody was arrested, however a bus and a police car were vandalized with anti-police graffiti
Protesters also made their way underground, some jumping turnstiles, where they would gather in front of barricades and shout at nearby police
A protester is seen holding a sign as the demonstrators took over a subway platform
[...]
Over the course of the two-hour protest, participants blocked traffic, shouted obscenities at nearby officers, jumped the subway turnstile en masse and committed acts of vandalization.
One group of protesters was seen surrounding a MTA bus, vandalizing it with stickers and writing anti-police graffiti on it, while passengers were aboard, according to the
New York Post.
Passengers told the newspaper that the demonstrators were 'banging on the bus' and that one 'kid with a white mask and a hoodie' used a marker to scrawl graffiti - 'F**k NYPD' and 'NYPD KKK' - on the bus.
'I’m not gonna lie, it was scary,' a passenger said after getting off the bus.
[...]
The protest started just as President Trump took to Twitter to condemn his now-former hometown after declaring that he was moving his family to Florida.
Among his many tweets, Trump wrote: 'NYC is getting dirty & unsafe again, as our great police are being disrespected, even with water dumped on them, because a Mayor and Governor just don’t "have their backs." New York’s Finest must be cherished, respected and loved.'
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Anti-cop protesters in Brooklyn block traffic, vandalize bus and more
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