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ali.watkins@nytimes.com
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So I wanna go through what I saw in Brooklyn last night. I was with a group of a few hundred protestors. They marched peacefully, actively deescalating & avoiding cops after 8pm. Then they went to Cadman plaza, walking right into what I can only describe as a strategic nightmare.pic.twitter.com/haWaTdKV9D
They marched up to Cadman and Clark and ran into one line of riot cops. Protestors stayed there for about 15 minutes, chanting peacefully, hands up. I think they realized they weren’t getting through, so leaders turned them around to leave.pic.twitter.com/uFSLAU1wY7
It’s about 9pm. What they couldn’t see was that hordes of riot cops had poured into the plaza behind them. Even if they had wanted to disperse, I don’t know how they could have. There was no way out.
Leaders tried to get people to stay calm, but riot cops began pushing them back a block — right into more cops. Batons started coming out. Two people near me got whacked, and two nurses and a medic — CLEARLY identified — brought them near a building to render aid.
I want to be clear here: I saw a single, apparently empty water bottle get tossed from the protest line toward cops. I did not see where it landed or how full it was. From my vantage point, I saw no other provocation. Here’s a white shirt getting cops poised to charge.pic.twitter.com/U89JQ4WjkJ
The nurses were trying to work the baton vics with med kits. One protestor looked like she was passing out, and anothers’ hands were shaking as he reached for the back of his head, and his hand came back blood soaked. An ambulance was called. Then the cops charged again.
Everyone was yelling that people were hurt, they needed help, they were wrapping this guy’s head in a bandage. Cops screamed to at them to move, pushing a bunch of people. I saw the guy with the bleeding head get shoved to the ground, and cops start swinging batons. Everyone ran.
At this point the plaza’s flooded with cops. One girl walked up to a line of them, off to the side, and begged repeatedly for help, said her friend was hurt. They ignored her. Finally another protestor came up and said she was a nurse. I lost them and don’t know what happened.
Graciously, I guess, the downpour started and the place cleared pretty quickly. Cops chased stragglers out. I showed my press badge to a white shirt as the rain let up, and they let me go back into the plaza and get my bike.
It was so quiet as I walked my bike through the park, toward home. Nothing but blue and red lights bouncing off buildings. Slowly, groups of riot cops began walking back into the plaza, laughing with each other as they took off their helmets. It was surreal.
Asked about the enforcement around the city, @NYPDChiefofDept said “They have to be off the street. An 8 o’clock curfew — we gave them to 9 o’clock.”https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/nyregion/nyc-protests-george-floyd.html …
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