The police commissioner and mayor of New York City say public demonstrations from protesters upset with a local hospital for accepting help from Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse will not be tolerated as the city continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
About a dozen gay rights activists showed up over the weekend outside Mount Sinai Hospital, holding a press conference slamming the facility for allowing the Christian organization to set up a field hospital to help with overflow caused by the pandemic.
Twice as many police officers showed up and forced the crowd to disperse, Fox 5 reported.
“You’re talking about some of the values we hold in the highest regard in this country and certainly in this city, the right for people to gather, the right to free speech and the right to protest,” said Dermot Shea, the city’s police commissioner. “But now comes the bad news, we’re in a pandemic, and executive orders have been issued, these are laws that have been passed down through executive order to keep people alive, while we greatly, greatly respect the right of people to protest, there should not be protests taking place in the middle of a pandemic by gathering outside and putting people at risk.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed Shea’s comments but said the city maintained its commitment to equal rights for all and free expression.
“People who want to make their voices heard there are plenty of ways to do it without gathering in person,” de Blasio said. “The question is always whoever has whatever cause they want to speak to are they interested in protecting other people’s lives? If they are, use all the other tools you have to get your point across but avoid anything that might put other people in harm’s way.”
De Blasio took criticism last month when he threatened to arrest people not practicing social distancing following images of a massive gathering at a Jewish funeral in Brooklyn.
“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,” he tweeted. “What I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus.”
