Angry Protest Over George Floyd Death Sparks Independent Review

BROOKLYN, NY — Hours after a "long night" of tension in Brooklyn at a protest against the death of George Floyd that was marked by Molotov cocktails, thrown rocks, pepper spray and at least one incident of a woman reportedly thrown to the ground by a police officer, lawmakers are calling for an independent review of the night's events.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press briefing Saturday to discuss the tensions, including riots, a burning police station, and looting, that are escalating nationwide after Floyd's death. A video of Floyd, 46, with a police officer's knee on his neck as he begged for help and said, "I can't breathe" and cried out for his mother have sparked a wave of emotion across the world.

The controversial protest was held in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center Friday, where thousands of protesters descended on Atlantic Avenue entrance to the facility. They chanted "George Floyd" in addition to cries of "Hands up! Don't shoot!" and "Black Lives Matter."

A cloud of pepper spray descended over the rally, police armed with batons violently took down protesters and some rally goers set fires — all scenes that played out in real time on social media.

A video shared widely on social media shows a woman who was reportedly thrown to the ground by police officers.

"There's a poison in this land," de Blasio said Saturday, of the "structural racism" he said impacts people of color in New York City daily. "I'm talking to white New Yorkers — we can't go on like this. We can't have so many of our fellow New Yorkers live in pain throughout their lives and then have that pain deepened over and over and over again."

The mayor, who was at the Barclays Center protest with New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, said peaceful protests are a hallmark of life in the city. But on Friday night, he said, "There were people who came there to incite acts of violence."

Even elected officials at the protest were pepper sprayed, de Blasio said. "That's unacceptable. There needs to be accountability," he said.

On the flip said, he added that he has seen videos of the night "that do not reflect the values of this city," with "protestors handled roughly" by the NYPD. "That is not neighborhood policing. We will not accept that behavior from any police officer."

He said there is a need to "get to the bottom" of what transpired.

An immediate independent review

To that end, he called for an immediate independent review. Gov. Andrew Cuomo also called for a review by New York Attorney General Letitia James that he said should be completed within 30 days.

The goal, de Blasio said, is to find out "what happened, why it happened — and what can be done better. We want there to be accountability. We also want to know what we can do better to avoid acts of violence and are working to make sure protests in the days to come will be as peaceful as humanly possible."

The mayor said he is working to engage community leaders, as well as the Cure Violence organization, to determine the best way to honor the right of all New Yorkers to protest while also keeping the peace.

"It was a long and difficult night and we intend to do better," de Blasio said. He added that there were scores of law enforcement officers who worked to keep peace and protect the public.

Molotov cocktails and arrests

Speaking about the protest, Shea said 3,000 individuals turned out to protest across the city Friday, with some groups "splintering" into smaller demonstrations. More than 200 were arrested and multiple officers were injured, with some still in the hospital Saturday, he said.

Some threw Molotov cocktails into a marked police van with four officers inside, Shea said. Others, he added, had teeth knocked out. "It was literally by the grace of God that we don't have dead officers," Shea said.

Shea added that some had firearms and "countless bricks and other items" were thrown at police. "It was a volatile situation," he said. "We can do better than this and we must."

While the NYPD fully supports peaceful protests, he said, there is "zero tolerance for individuals wishing to cause harm to anyone."

When asked about the video that appears to show a woman "shoved without provocation" by a police officer and falling to the ground, de Blasio said, "It's absolutely unacceptable. That does not reflect our values." Such incidents, he said, "erode trust" between the public and the NYPD.

The independent review will determine what transpired and consequences will follow, he said. The officers, he added, were in a "horrible situation", at a protest where a small number came to "incite violence."

That said, he added, "The NYPD has to do better. We have to have people's faith that the NYPD is there to protect them. I totally understand what a horrible, complex situation it was for our officers but that does not justify throwing a peaceful protestor to the ground. We have to do whatever we can to stop that from happening again. We have to do better than that."

Shea said the NYPD was "not at all concerned about an outside look. We are doing as internal look; as part of any large scale operation we will conduct a complete after-action. If there was wrongdoing then it is our job to call it out, whether through training or discipline."

Protests are expected to continue in locations across New York City this weekend, de Blasio and Shea said, and the city supports peaceful civil disobedience.

De Blasio said he hoped New Yorkers would remember a silent march down Fifth Avenue to protest the stop and frisk procedures years ago. "Peaceful protest has always been the way in a democracy," he said.

The mayor added that he was "thankful there was no loss of life" or looting Friday night.

Coronavirus concerns

When asked if they were concerned that the protests, where individuals were often not wearing face masks, could lead to an uptick in coronavirus, both de Blasio and Cuomo said they were.

Coronavirus, de Blasio said, has "created a depth of pain that still has not been accounted for," especially in minority communities where so many have lost their lives. Stories of pain and loss echoed through a recent visit to a housing development in Queens rocked by coronavirus, de Blasio said.

The Amy Cooper Central Park incident where her words were "literally criminalizing the very act of being a black man," and then, Floyd's death, have led to the need to examine racism across the country and in New York City, de Blasio said.

Cuomo agreed with de Blasio that a hard look must be taken at inherent racism in the nation.

Speaking of the Floyd death, Cuomo said: "There is an injustice in the criminal justice system that is abhorrent. How many times have we seen the same situation? Yes, the names change, but the color is the same. That is the painful reality of this situation and it's not just 30 years — it is this nation's history. That is the honest truth and that's what is behind this anger and frustration. That's why I figuratively stand with the protestors — but violence is not the answer."

When asked if he would consider a change to a state regulation regarding the public disclosure of a police officer's prior disciplinary records, Cuomo said he does not believe the law as written prohibits the disclosure and said it was up to local elected officials to decide.

However, he added, "I would sign a bill today that reforms" the measure. "I will sign it today. I can't be more or clear than that."

Of his call for a review of Friday night's protest by AG James, Cuomo said: "The public deserves answers and accountability."

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the death of Floyd after his arrest Monday.