|
 During a series of marches across Manhattan to protest the death
of Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered severe spinal injuries
while in police custody in Baltimore, there were 143 arrests, mainly
for obstructing traffic. Riots in Baltimore after Gray's funeral on
Monday led to arson and looting, as well as injuries to about 20
police officers.
"The strategic approach is exactly the same," de Blasio told a news
conference. "We won't tolerate illegality, we won't tolerate
disorder. We will not allow the few to undermine the honest efforts
of the many to express their views."
Some lawmakers had a different view.
"It was overly aggressive," said New York State Assemblyman Michael
Blake, who participated in Wednesday's protests, which started from
Union Square.
"Most officers acted responsibly. However, there were too many
unjust, incredibly inexcusable acts by officers last night without
explanation," he said in a phone interview.
 Priscilla Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for Communities United for Police
Reform, said in a statement it is "unacceptable that Mayor de Blasio
refused to take responsibility for the systemic lack of respect that
the NYPD showed for the rights of peaceful protesters."
Last year, New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton was
criticized for allowing groups of protesters to disrupt traffic by
marching down the middle of major thoroughfares without getting a
permit beforehand. Those protests were about the deaths of Eric
Garner on Staten Island and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, who
both died at the hands of police.
Speaking at a press event, James O'Neill, the Chief of Department of
the NYPD, said that officers used tough tactics on Wednesday only in
response to the crowd - when they defied orders to stay out of the
streets or resisted arrest - but that there was no directive to
crack down harder on protests in the wake of violence in Baltimore.
[to top of second column] |
"Throughout the night we were extremely flexible, and we will
continue to be flexible," said Police Commissioner William Bratton
at the same event. "Our response often times is dictated by the
circumstances."
De Blasio said the police approached incidents on a case-by-case
basis and that run-ins were a result of a handful of protesters who
were either intent on violence or disobeyed police orders.
The city's broader approach to policing is based on conversations,
frequently several times daily, between the mayor's office and
police leadership, de Blasio said. "We'll make tactical adjustments,
but the strategy remains the same," he said.
During those talks, they have "reflected on some of what we saw in
Baltimore, but it was not part of our decision-making about the
situation here," he said.
Additional New York City protests over Gray's death are planned for
Friday.
(Reporting by Hilary Russ; Additional reporting by Laila Kearney;
Editing by Martin Howell)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
