Vandals in New York City targeted police vehicles Saturday night, according to the New York Post.
Video of the vandalism shows rioters attacking three marked New York Police Department vehicles, painting graffiti on them, trying to break the cars’ windows, and slashing their tires.
Six NYPD cars were vandalized over the weekend.
In the video, four vandals are seen jumping on top of an NYPD SUV, with one of the people holding an upside-down American flag with the words “F— NYPD” written on it.
Violence in New York City has raged amid protests against racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Memorial Day.
Just last week, shootings in the Big Apple increased by 176% compared to the same week last year, with 47 shootings reported compared to 17 shootings last year. Additionally, murders also increased last week, with 14 killed compared to five during the same period in 2019.
Protests, riots, and vandalism have increased anti-police sentiment at a time when Mayor Bill de Blasio has stripped $1 billion from the NYPD budget and disbanded the NYPD’s plainclothes anti-crime unit in June.
Hundreds of police officers have filed their retirement papers in recent weeks as tensions between the force and the public become more strained by the increase in crime.
“There’s just droves and droves of people retiring. But there’s no surprise here, who the hell wants to stay on this job?” one officer said about the retirements.
President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, Ed Mullins, has repeatedly railed against the leadership in the city amid the increase in crime and police retirements.
“There is no leadership, no direction, no training for new policies,” Mullins said. “Department brass is paralyzed [and] too afraid to uphold their sworn oath in fear of losing their jobs. Sadly, the people of this city will soon experience what New York City was like in the 1980s.”
