Protesters in New York City booed and turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio for his response to the riots roiling the city.
As he took the podium at Cadman Plaza beneath the Brooklyn Bridge on Thursday to voice his support for protests about police violence, de Blasio declared, “Black lives matter in New York,” prompting one heckler to yell, “Not to you!”
“Turn your backs! Turn your backs!” protesters chanted as de Blasio attempted to address white privilege on stage. Others reportedly shouted, “Shut the f— up!”
Many in crowd turn backs on de Blasio. Wow pic.twitter.com/7Fo8HA6kHB
— Matt Troutman (@ByMattTroutman) June 4, 2020
De Blasio was heckled so forcefully he kept his remarks under five minutes.
#BREAKING: Crowd chants ‘Where’s our mayor?’ near Gracie Mansion, the residence of Mayor Bill de Blasio. pic.twitter.com/RsB1oQwrH9
— The Hill (@thehill) June 4, 2020
A strict 8 p.m. curfew was implemented in New York City on Wednesday night to contain criminal activity and riots in the country’s most populated city.
During a Tuesday press conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed de Blasio’s handling of riots in the city, noting that he has the option to “displace” him should the circumstances require him. Over 700 arrests were reportedly made on Monday, and approximately half-a-dozen police officers were injured on duty.
“The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night, I believe that,” Cuomo said to reporters. “You have 38,000 NYPD people; it is the largest police department in the United States of America,” he said. “Use 38,000 people and protect property. Use the police, protect property and people. Look at the videos. It was a disgrace.”
Since then, clashes have erupted between police officers and protesters, with critics saying police used excessive aggression to prevent peaceful protests under de Blasio’s authority.
In Brooklyn, one man stabbed a police officer in the neck in an unprovoked attack, creating a gunfight that left another two officers wounded. According to police, the three officers, who were assigned to anti-looting posts, were taken to Kings County Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the assailant, Dzenan Camovic, was in critical condition.
De Blasio defended the New York Police Department’s enforcement of his curfew during a daily press briefing, adding that he believes they used proper restraint.
“I am the duly elected mayor; I have put this curfew in place,” he said. “In the context of crisis, in the context of curfew, there is a point where enough is enough. If officers say now is the point we need you to go home, it’s time to go home.”
Hawk Newsome, the president of Black Lives Matter in New York, demanded de Blasio’s immediate resignation on Tuesday, citing the death of Eric Garner on Staten Island.
“Bill de Blasio has failed black New York time and time again. And it is my firm belief that if Bill de Blasio would’ve handled the Eric Garner murder correctly, then we wouldn’t be in this,” he said.
