Police officers showed up in force Wednesday morning to tear down barriers outside New York’s City Hall, forcing a stand-off between NYPD officers and protesters.
The protesters, who have been occupying the area around City Hall for several days, are demanding budget cuts to the NYPD — many want cuts in excess of the $1 billion in shifted funds that passed the city council late Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.
Overnight, as many waited for the vote, they fortified their position and prepared to hold their ground. (RELATED: NYC Protesters Form Human Barricade In Front Of City Hall)
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Warnings began to circulate among the protesters that the police were coming, and they prepared themselves accordingly. Daily Caller reporter Shelby Talcott posted video from the ground.
An organizer just warned the crowd that police “have cops in riot gear coming down Broadway.”
Can’t confirm, but protesters are now performing practice drills in preparation.
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020
And as daylight continued to stream into the city, so did the NYPD — en masse.
Police officers have arrived en mass pic.twitter.com/VitcnrWmZV
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020
Forcing the protesters back off the streets and into the park, police officers quickly swarmed the area.
The moment NYPD arrived to clear the streets outside New York City Hall Park Autonomous Zone pic.twitter.com/wQVlzDLFG7
— Richie????McG???? (@RichieMcGinniss) July 1, 2020
Police officers began to remove the barriers protesters had set up to surround their position.
More and more have arrived at Occupy City Hall and are taking back the barriers that protesters made for the encampment pic.twitter.com/JZRqWeYd01
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020
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Removal of the barriers led almost immediately to a standoff in the street between police and protesters.
Huge standoff out here right now. Unclear if officers plan to remove protesters from the park, or what the plan is from here after removing most of the barricades pic.twitter.com/LAAW340eeD
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020
Both protesters and police appeared to hold their respective lines, but police made no further attempts to clear the area.
The officers have moved back a bit but are still holding the line. Protesters are mostly staying right on the sidewalk of the park: pic.twitter.com/HfsWxjkhZw
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020
Protesters chanted and sang at the police, “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye…”
Protesters are singing:
“Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye…” pic.twitter.com/5VtRuIBSZF
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020
Protesters continued to cheer and sing as some of the police officers left, except for a few who remained behind to direct traffic.
The rest of the cops in the area have left (still a line behind me).
Protesters are cheering: pic.twitter.com/gCCIsA6r3x
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020
Protesters are chanting, singing and dancing in the street and inside the occupy zone. Pretty much all officers have left the immediate area now, aside from a few directing traffic: pic.twitter.com/UmQxwFOkAj
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 1, 2020