Multiple Arrests Reported At Anti-Police, Anti-MTA Fare Protest Amid Acts Of Subway Vandalism, CBS New York
- 4 years ago
New York police have made multiple arrest at Grand Central Terminal as droves of protesters took to the station to speak out against increased cop presence for the city's subway system.
Besides the action at Grand Central, protesters also vandalized station walls across the city and glued areas where commuters are to swipe their train cards to access the turnstiles.
Protesters also put up locks on station doors, allowing multiple people access to train platforms without having to pay the $2.75 fare.
The various actions took place on Friday during the evening rush
Roughly 500 protesters convened at Grand Central - holding signs that read 'Cops out of MTA', '$2.75 is not worth human life' and demanded for full accessibility to be invested in instead of increased security.
People could be heard 'F**k the police' as officers rushed to the scene and tried to disrupt the protest. Approximately five people were arrested during the protest in the station, the New York Daily News reports.
Some 1,400 police were dispatched to stations across the boroughs as a well to quell the protests. CBS New York reports that there have been no reports of NYPD officers getting injured in the protests.
Leaving Grand Central, protesters tried to continue their action at nearby Bryant Park but police prevented the majority from entering the station there.
Still, some 100 activists managed to get access to the station at 6th Avenue and West 42nd Street and set off a green smoke bomb.
The massive group then made its way south along Broadway, indicating they would be ending at Restoration Plaza in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn.
Protest group Decolonize This Place had taken to Twitter on Tuesday to share a warning about their protests.
'The streets are ours. The trains our ours. The walls are ours. This moment is ours,' they said in the video. 'How will you and your crew build and f**k s**t up for #FTP3 on #J31 (THIS FRIDAY)? Issa mothaf****n' movement.'
Just moments before the protests took place, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan shared that the stations had been vandalized and that police were anticipating the protests.
'This morning, a group of individuals vandalized subway stations,' he said in the post.
'We believe the same individuals will attempt to disrupt the evening commute in the subway by causing disorder, endangering commuters – and even attempting to physically assault our officers. IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED'
During the action, protesters took to Twitter to share that they had not witnessed acts of violence against police.
MTA spokesman Tim Minton acknowledged the vandalism but said that those who were protesting peacefully were exercising their First Amendment rights.
He added that the MTA was 'dedicating to providing safety and maintaining service.'
Earlier this month, New York's attorney general, Letitia James, launched an investigation into whether the New York Police Department has been targeting communities of color for subwa
Besides the action at Grand Central, protesters also vandalized station walls across the city and glued areas where commuters are to swipe their train cards to access the turnstiles.
Protesters also put up locks on station doors, allowing multiple people access to train platforms without having to pay the $2.75 fare.
The various actions took place on Friday during the evening rush
Roughly 500 protesters convened at Grand Central - holding signs that read 'Cops out of MTA', '$2.75 is not worth human life' and demanded for full accessibility to be invested in instead of increased security.
People could be heard 'F**k the police' as officers rushed to the scene and tried to disrupt the protest. Approximately five people were arrested during the protest in the station, the New York Daily News reports.
Some 1,400 police were dispatched to stations across the boroughs as a well to quell the protests. CBS New York reports that there have been no reports of NYPD officers getting injured in the protests.
Leaving Grand Central, protesters tried to continue their action at nearby Bryant Park but police prevented the majority from entering the station there.
Still, some 100 activists managed to get access to the station at 6th Avenue and West 42nd Street and set off a green smoke bomb.
The massive group then made its way south along Broadway, indicating they would be ending at Restoration Plaza in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn.
Protest group Decolonize This Place had taken to Twitter on Tuesday to share a warning about their protests.
'The streets are ours. The trains our ours. The walls are ours. This moment is ours,' they said in the video. 'How will you and your crew build and f**k s**t up for #FTP3 on #J31 (THIS FRIDAY)? Issa mothaf****n' movement.'
Just moments before the protests took place, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan shared that the stations had been vandalized and that police were anticipating the protests.
'This morning, a group of individuals vandalized subway stations,' he said in the post.
'We believe the same individuals will attempt to disrupt the evening commute in the subway by causing disorder, endangering commuters – and even attempting to physically assault our officers. IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED'
During the action, protesters took to Twitter to share that they had not witnessed acts of violence against police.
MTA spokesman Tim Minton acknowledged the vandalism but said that those who were protesting peacefully were exercising their First Amendment rights.
He added that the MTA was 'dedicating to providing safety and maintaining service.'
Earlier this month, New York's attorney general, Letitia James, launched an investigation into whether the New York Police Department has been targeting communities of color for subwa