Protests Break Out in Brooklyn After Subway Police Brutality Incidents
Written by SOURCE on November 2, 2019
Hundreds of people gathered in Downtown Brooklyn on Friday night to protest against the aggressive policing of the subway system.
About 1,000 demonstrators marched through the main avenues to protest, according to PIX11. “Hands off black kids, NYPD,” said one of the chants. A protester connected the police aggression to law enforcement’s bias against poverty.
“We see people in poverty increasing every single day, struggling to make ends meet. People working two, three jobs, barely keeping a roof over their head. And what’s the city’s response? Hire more cops. Beat people up who can’t afford to pay the fare,” one protester told NY1.
Although there were some reported acts of vandalism, no arrests were made in the protests, according to News 12.
The protests occurred days after videos showing NYPD officers using excessive force on city train stations went viral.
One of the videos showed authorities pointing their guns at a young man who was sitting in a packed subway car. The footage has other passengers fleeing as the teen puts his hands in the air and asks someone to call his mom. Moments later, a group of officers stormed the car, threw the teen on the ground, and placed him in cuffs. His crime? He allegedly skipped the MTA’s $2.75 fare.
Earlier this week, NYPD drew even more outrage over a video of a policeman punching 15-year-old Benjamin Marshall at a downtown station. Officers were responding to a fight, but it isn’t clear if Marshall was involved in the altercation. Marshall wasn’t one of the five teens arrested in relation to melee. His family has since filed a $5 million lawsuit against the city and the police department.
