BY ROBERT POZARYCKI, MARK HALLUM, ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH AND GRANT LANCASTER
For the fourth straight night, hundreds of protesters have converged upon areas of Brooklyn and Manhattan Sunday evening for rallies following last week’s police-involved death of Minneapolis’ George Floyd.
Nearly a thousand individuals walked from Union Square — the site of a chaotic evening Saturday — to Bryant Park. Another major gathering occurred at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza, then moved past the Barclays Center and on to Lower Manhattan.
For the most part, the atmosphere at the Brooklyn and Manhattan rallies are rather docile, according to amNY reporters on scene, with crowd size down from the previous two evenings. Yet there have been reports of some trouble as the evening went on.
From Bryant Park, the marchers headed back south to Foley Square. More than 3,000 of them gathered near the entrance to the New York courthouse there.
Massive presence in Foley Square pic.twitter.com/5BjK1hEilw
— Mark Hallum (@MarkuuSan) June 1, 2020
Along the way, the organizers have been working to keep the peace. One video shows an organizer commanding protesters to avoid confrontations with police, and to report any demonstrator who acts violently.
The group in Foley Square is considering “hitting the [Manhattan] bridge” in order to show support to another group at Barclays Center, who they believe is experiencing opposition from police.
On the other side of the river, more than a thousand protesters marched for justice reform past the Barclays Center and were heading toward the Manhattan Bridge as well.
New Yorkers are hurting.
Black Americans are hurting.
I’m here to listen and support, and was glad to run into my friend @JumaaneWilliams at the Barclays Center.
We marched, chanted and rallied together peacefully. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/7ifTWjTjIz
— Corey Johnson (@CoreyinNYC) June 1, 2020
There, the mood is more peaceful than in previous nights, though there were reports of arrests.
#BlackLivesMatter protesters moving away from Barclays, flooding Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue intersection.#NYCPROTEST #brooklynprotest #georgefloyd pic.twitter.com/gTxmGaBFtV
— Grant from home (@grantlan145) June 1, 2020
Police wound up arresting a protester who allegedly threw water bottles at them. As a result, other protesters urged their colleagues to stop throwing debris and to instead “listen to black leadership.”
#NYPD officers around a protester being arrested. Water bottles thrown and #BlackLivesMatter protesters stand in front of the officers, telling the ones throwing bottles to stop and “listen to black leadership.”#NYCPROTEST #brooklynprotest #protests2020 #manhattanbridge pic.twitter.com/DswqIUziXS
— Grant from home (@grantlan145) June 1, 2020
At the corner of Canal and Church Streets, protesters were met with a line of NYPD officers in riot gear at about 9:12 p.m. The group stopped in silent protest for a bit, but moments later, the cops charged at them, sending many running. It’s not clear what prompted the charge.
#BlackLivesMatter protesters facing off with #NYPD officers in riot helmets near Post Office at Canal and Church. pic.twitter.com/wEwZtQIrNb
— Grant from home (@grantlan145) June 1, 2020
#NYPD officers charge protesters back onto Canal, splitting a large group of protesters. #NYCPROTEST #ManhattanProtest #protests pic.twitter.com/blBNaid8QI
— Grant from home (@grantlan145) June 1, 2020
The officers then retreated back toward the intersection, and the protesters resumed, taking a knee to recall those individuals killed as a result of police brutality.
A young man walking by me said “let’s break some shit” pic.twitter.com/u5mhgruIsl
— Alejandra O’Connell (@AODNewz) June 1, 2020
There were also some isolated reports of property damage related to the protest, including windows smashed out at an apartment building on Howard Street, a ransacked store on the same block and vandalism of a parked NYPD vehicle near Mott and Canal Streets.
Protesters have also been spotted looting storefronts along Broadway. Yet some demonstrators have stepped in to stop the destruction.
Protesters intervene as others in the march started to break into a shop on the street. Crowd not a fan of the apparent looters, yelling for #PeacefulProtests #NYCPROTEST #nycprotests #ManhattanProtest #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/YNtbZtr4Yx
— Grant from home (@grantlan145) June 1, 2020
In another instance, looters stole booze from the Warehouse Wine and Liquors store at 735 Broadway. Their effort was stopped by a resident living above the shop who heard the commotion, called police and went down to the store, armed with an iron bar, to confront them before they ran off.
“The small businesses have not hurt anybody. It’s counterproductive,” the resident told amNewYork Metro. “These are not protesters. The people who looted this store are not serving the memory of anybody. They’re opportunists taking advantage of the situation for their own benefit.”
Protesters have moved back to the north in Manhattan, with some encountering police officers near Grace Church on 11th Street. Officers have urged marchers to disperse for creating a disturbance. They were met with chants of “Peaceful Protests,” “George Floyd” and “Breona Taylor,” another victim of police brutality.
More cops going to lower Manhattan. Protesters burned garbage and scaffolding at E 12th pic.twitter.com/ReUooeqFms
— Alejandra O’Connell (@AODNewz) June 1, 2020
Small group of protesters chanting and playing music in the intersection of Broadway and 10th Street. A protester standing on a turn signal lifts a bumper apparently torn from an #NYPD vehicle. pic.twitter.com/FeH1Zf1mc1
— Grant from home (@grantlan145) June 1, 2020
At 11th and bway pic.twitter.com/MOp6s3ATT8
— Mark Hallum (@MarkuuSan) June 1, 2020
At 11th and bway pic.twitter.com/MOp6s3ATT8
— Mark Hallum (@MarkuuSan) June 1, 2020
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, there were disturbances that broke out at the Barclays Center just before 11 p.m.
NOW: a massive sea of cops by the Barclays Center pic.twitter.com/dfV41ORLyi
— Joshua Leifer (@joshualeifer) June 1, 2020
