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De Blasio Now Condemns Police Driving SUVs Into Protesters
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jun 1, 2020
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Mayor Bill de Blasio / Flickr
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jun 1, 2020
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Following broad criticism of his response to videos of police aggression toward protesters, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday denounced the actions of police who drove cruisers into a crowd of Brooklyn protesters over the weekend.
"That was so troubling," he said during his press conference, adding, "I don't think I expressed it as well as I should have."
"There is no situation where a police vehicle should drive into a crowd of New Yorkers," he the added. "It is dangerous and unacceptable."
De Blasio's remarks come after he was roundly criticized by other elected officials for his initial response on Sunday.
Although he called for a full investigation, he had suggested that the protesters were to blame, saying "the situation was created by a group of protestors blocking and surrounding a police vehicle, a tactic that we had seen before in the last two days, a tactic that can be very, very dangerous to everyone involved."
He continued: "And we’ve seen direct attacks on police officers including in their vehicles and we need a full and impartial investigation but we also need to be clear about the context. That was happening against the backdrop where police officers had been attacked before in the exact same situation."
Afterwards, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic progressive from New York City, tweeted, "Defending and making excuses for NYPD running SUVs into crowds was wrong."
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson criticized the NYPD, calling the incident "outrageous."
On Monday, the mayor spoke after the fourth day of protests in New York spurred by police violence and the killing of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis. No one was fatally injured nor were there any serious injuries to protesters or NYPD members, the mayor said.
But similar to the prior night, parts of Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn erupted into chaos, as looting and fires occurred, and police charged and in some cases, struck protesters after some had thrown items like water bottles.
Asked about establishing a curfew, de Blasio said he would be talking with the police commissioner as well as Governor Andrew Cuomo about that option on Monday.
In one particularly disturbing video near Broadway, an NYPD officer was seen pointing what appears to be a gun at fleeing protesters, after another officer was hit in the head by a projectile.
During his press conference, de Blasio called the incident "absolutely unacceptable" and said there would be a full investigation.
He then added: "That officer should have his gun and badge taken away immediately today."
De Blasio also addressed the arrest of his 25-year old daughter Chiara. He said news of her arrest caught him and his wife off-guard. They were unaware that she had planned to get arrested, he added.
"I love my daughter deeply," he said. "She wants to see a better and more peaceful world. I’m proud of her that she cares so much."
An earlier version said the mayor was unaware his daughter was going to protest. He said he was unaware she was planning to get arrested.
Tagged
George Floyd
bill de blasio
protests
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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