Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Despite Documented Human Rights Abuses, De Blasio Refuses To Denounce NYPD's Mott Haven Beatdown
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 2, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 2, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Bill de Blasio stood behind his embattled NYPD commissioner on Friday, shrugging off the release of an investigation that found Dermot Shea repeatedly misled the public about the department's unprovoked assault on peaceful protesters in the Bronx this summer.
During his weekly Ask the Mayor segment on WNYC, de Blasio offered evasive and contradictory answers about the nearly 100-page Humans Rights Watch report, which examined the NYPD’s "intentional, planned, and unjustified” actions in Mott Haven. The report accuses officers of trapping marchers prior to the 8 p.m. curfew, then injuring 61 people in a brutal mass arrest operation that violated international human rights laws and the department's own patrol guide.
"Some of that characterization doesn’t sound like what I heard at the time, including from our own observers," the mayor told Brian Lehrer, adding that he had not yet read the report. "There were specific threats directed at that site earlier in the afternoon. I know that for a fact because it was reported to me earlier that afternoon."
Hours before the June 4th protest, the NYPD's 40th Precinct had warned of a “credible threat” against businesses and claimed the local organizers had a history of "planting bricks" at locations. Neither the NYPD nor the Mayor’s Office have provided any evidence to support that accusation.
Other allegations promoted by Commissioner Shea about protesters carrying a firearm and gasoline were later contradicted by NYPD officials and the New York Attorney General. Despite being kettled prior to 8 p.m., the overwhelming majority of those arrested were issued summonses for violating curfew, which Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark has moved to dismiss.
After analyzing 155 videos and interviewing more than 80 people involved in the protest, the human rights group concluded the demonstration was "entirely peaceful until the police carried out their violent assault."
Asked why he would trust the word of the NYPD — a frequent source of misinformation about protesters — over the findings of Human Rights Watch, the mayor seemed to suggest that the report was lacking the perspective of law enforcement.
"You're listening to Human Rights Watch, you're listening to people who are protesting. That's a part of the picture," de Blasio said. "But we need a complete investigation where everyone involved who is pertinent is interviewed and that's what the Department of Investigation is doing."
Gideon Orion Oliver, who is representing around 50 people involved in the Mott Haven crackdown, including a dozen legal observers, said that none of his clients had received interview requests from the DOI or the Law Department. "I'd be shocked if they reached out to anybody," he said. "How could this be an impartial investigation?"
The DOI's review covers the three-week period from the start of the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd through June 20th. It was initially due on August 31st. A source in the Mayor's Office said they were now expecting the report before the end of 2020.
De Blasio also addressed the NYPD's targeted detention of legal observers in Mott Haven — an alleged intimidation attempt that attorneys said was without precedent in New York City. The NYPD has defended the arrests, insisting to Human Rights Watch that the protest monitors were not exempt from the curfew, despite repeated assurances otherwise from the Mayor's Office.
David, a legal observer who was arrested in Mott Haven, called in to ask the mayor directly, "Were we essential workers or not?"
"Yes, you were," the mayor replied. "With all due respect to the NYPD, the NYPD is wrong on this one."
The admission marks the first time de Blasio has indicated the NYPD acted improperly on June 4th. But the mayor stopped short of saying that any police officers, including the NYPD Legal Bureau employee who oversaw the arrests, should be disciplined. And he did not explain why he needed a "complete investigation" to assess the NYPD's actions that night if some of those actions were blatantly wrong. To date, no police officer involved in the Mott Haven kettle has faced consequences.
"That’s not accountability," said Oliver. "The mayor has the power to do much more, immediately, and he should."
A spokesperson for the NYPD did not respond to emails from Gothamist.
A previous version of this story noted that the Law Department was involved in the Department of Investigation's independent review of the police response to protesters. While Mayor Bill de Blasio called for a "joint review" from the heads of the two agencies, a spokesperson for the DOI clarified to Gothamist that the inquiries will be conducted separately.
The spokesperson declined to say whether the DOI has contacted a single protester involved in the Mott Haven arrest, noting the investigation is ongoing.
Tagged
mott haven
George Floyd
mayor bill de blasio
nypd
dermot shea
protest
South Bronx
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .