The NYPD dismantled “Occupy City Hall” early Wednesday after demonstrations over police brutality lasted about a month.
“Occupy City Hall” began as a sit-in protest June 23 as a way to put pressure on the City Council to cut the NYPD budget. The sit-in continued to grow and food, clothing, medical services and makeshift tents were set up as the July 1 deadline loomed.
The sit-in protest culminated on June 30, with thousands awaiting the City Council’s vote in the streets and inside the park. The council cut the NYPD budget by around $1 billion, but many protesters were unhappy with the decision. The sit-in began to dwindle after that and attracted many homeless people, whom remaining protesters began to care for, according to the New York Times.
Around 100 officers entered the zone before sunrise Wednesday to officially dismantle it, Yessenia Benitez said according to the NYT. This came after fights began to break out among protesters and passers-by began to be harassed. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Protesters Expand ‘Occupy City Hall,’ Descend Into Infighting And Stand Off With Police Hours Before NYPD Budget Vote)
WATCH:
Tents, chairs, signs all getting thrown into DSNY trucks pic.twitter.com/hWYY0SLSf6
— Steve Burns (@StvBurns) July 22, 2020
NYPD said a 10-minute warning was issued before the raid started, according to WCBS800’s Steve Burns. Items from the park, such as tents and chairs, were put into New York City Sanitation Department trucks, according to video footage.
City cleaning crews arrived after the NYPD cleared the park out and began to remove graffiti from the walls of buildings, according to the NYT.