New York Police Department officers clad in riot gear emptied out an “occupy” protest that sprung up around NYC City Hall weeks ago in a dramatic pre-dawn raid, according to local media.
The protest, which began on June 28 with just 100 protesters, had spilled over into the street as demonstrators demanded a massive cut to the NYPD budget. Although New York City mayor Bill de Blasio happily complied with demands to “defund the police,” slashing the NYPD’s operating funds by nearly a billion dollars and canceling more than 1,000 planned hires, protesters remained unsatisfied given that De Blasio refused to officially sign the change into law.
NYPD is now attacking the City Hall occupancy protest. Tearing down the community service tents. #nycprotest pic.twitter.com/Ia4HpxhvSy
— Max Hornig (@swarmofgaybees) July 22, 2020
The protest had dwindled in recent days, but early Wednesday morning, NYPD cleared what remained, tossing demonstrators out of a nearby park and dismantling the City Hall tent city.
“Lines of officers in heavy gear were seen at Lafayette Street and Leonard near the criminal courthouses. Some were telling protesters and others on the street to move back as the swarm of cops moved in. Officials said those in the encampment were given a ten-minute warning before the clear-out began,” a local NBC affiliate reported. “Protesters say their tents, tarps, and other belongings were trashed by police.” – READ MORE
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