Uptown Calls For Unity After Protest Confrontation Goes Viral

INWOOD, MANHATTAN — A rally in Inwood called for unity among black and Latino protesters after a now-viral video appeared to show two groups clashing during a demonstration on Dyckman Street Tuesday.

The video, which has since been seen 1.3 million times online, shows a crowd yelling at and chasing after a group of black men who were approaching the demonstration, which was set up to protect local businesses from looting.

“Get that s–t outta here, n—a!," one man yelled, as others called for the crowd to "chill."

(Warning: This video contains explicit language.)

The video was met with a storm of comments online claiming the video showed "racial profiling." In one post on Instagram, the video was posted with the caption "Dominicans on #Dyckman siding with police."

But those involved, including the person who posted the video on Twitter, said the two groups in the video have "made peace."

Elected officials held a second rally at the site of the confrontation Wednesday to condemn any racial targeting and call for unity among Latino and black communities.

"They want to make sure that we fight each other, they want to make sure that we’re divided —we’re not going to do that," U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat said at the second rally, which was also joined by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

Some of the people involved in the confrontation joined the elected officials to say both groups should come together as they protest police brutality and the death of George Floyd.

The apparent organizer of the initial rally, a group called Dyckman's Diary, also responded online, saying the video is being used to "incite negativity."

"We organized and got united against any looters regardless of their origin/race," the group wrote. "We must continue to come together as a human race and fight against any injustices and not deviate from what we are really fighting for."