New York City mayoral candidate and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang was heckled and accused of being “pro-cop” while riding his bike as part of a Tuesday night protest over the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.
Wright’s death in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, when he was shot during a traffic stop has sparked a new wave of protests and some riots around the country. The mayoral candidate was partaking in the demonstration with 150 other cyclists, riding from the Barclays Center into Lower Manhattan as part of the ongoing demonstrations over Wright’s death, the New York Post reported.
When Yang and the group arrived in Battery Park, several protesters began to heckle the former presidential candidate through a megaphone, according to the New York Post.
WATCH: NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang attends Vigil bike ride for Daunte Wright in Brooklyn and gets told to leave,
“Do not use our protest for you publicity.” pic.twitter.com/0cskI6n9OZ
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) April 14, 2021
“We don’t want you here, and you are not welcome here,” a woman reportedly said through the megaphone, with another protester calling Yang “pro-cop.”
“Do not use our protest for your publicity,” another woman reportedly said, finishing her brief statement with, “Shame on you, Andrew Yang!” (RELATED: ‘You’re Not F**king Live’: Minnesota Protester Cusses Out CNN Reporter Live On Air)
Other members began changing “shame” at Yang before riding off to continue their protest, according to the Post.
‘You’re pro-cop, get out of here’: Andrew Yang is chased away by Daunte Wright bike protesters in NYC https://t.co/S28OXYMhz0
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) April 14, 2021
Yang told Newsweek in February that the city’s police needed to be held “accountable” for rising crime rates following last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.
“You need to improve police culture while also holding police accountable to bring their resolution rates for violent crime up,” Yang told Newsweek in the interview.
Yang had also received an endorsement from Martin Luther King Jr’s son, Martin Luther King III, shortly after he announced his bid for mayor.