Black lives matter activists demanded Monday Mayor de Blasio fire NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton during a full day of protests at City Hall.
Around 100 protesters had gathered in City Hall park before noon, holding workshops, group discussions and speeches. Many vowed to sleep in the park overnight and not leave until their demands were met. A large rally calling for the “Occupation of City Hall” was planned for 6 p.m.
“We want to envision the world without the police,” Nabil Hassein, 27, said. “We’re about abolition.”
The protesters also demand an end to Broken Windows policing, a strategy that aggressively enforces petty offenses to maintain law and order, money for victims of police brutality and a defunding of the NYPD.
Much of the early discussion focused on the heavy police presence. Organizers discussed strategies if officers start threatening to arrest people, apparently expecting a confrontation.
“I wish I were able to promise and guarantee everyone’s safety at today’s event but the fact is that we don’t control the police,” Hassein said.
Nicholas Heyward Sr., whose 13-year-old son was killed by cops 22 years ago while wielding a plastic toy gun, condemned Bratton.
“Police Commissioner William Bratton must be fired,” he said, holding a a sign that read “what can we expect from a cop who considers youth a disease?”
Source: New York Daily News | TYLER FOGGATT / STEPHEN REX BROWN
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