Track #1: Election Week
November 4th and 5th, 2020: Stonewall Inn, Downtown Manhattan and Union Square
^Tap “Listen in Browser,” and if you are in this physical location, wander about the area or continue wherever you were going today, as you like. More information and action steps provided below.
Composed and produced by Michael Genese. Audio+Video footage courtesy of Tom Ella.
The level of policing displayed at protests that occurred during the 2020 Presidential Election are prime examples of the brutality the SRG is capable of.
“We get brainwashed into thinking this is a normal expectation for a protest.”
On November 4, 2020, two separate demonstrations both ended up kettled by SRG bikers in full tactical “hard” gear. The first, which had started at Washington Square Park, was tailed by over 300 SRG officers, and eventually kettled without warning at 9:45pm. Video evidence shows SRG officers beating trapped protesters on the ground with their batons. One video even shows Deputy Inspector Nikas instructing the SRG: “Don’t let them out!” Over 50 people were arrested.
At 10:30pm, near Union Square, another horde of SRG officers kettled the second demonstration. Protesters were also brutalized by the SRG there, and five were arrested. Some, including one of the witnesses in this audio piece, had to be hospitalized for the injuries the SRG inflicted upon them.
The next night, on November 5, 2020, an army of SRG flanked the weekly Stonewall Protests on all sides. Once the group arrived to Union Square, SRG bikers in hard gear pushed protesters into the park. Nineteen arrests were made throughout the night.
Despite mountains of evidence, NYPD spokespeople, including Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes, former Commissioner Dermot Shea, and former Chief of Department Terence Monahan, have repeatedly denied the SRG’s use of kettling. This is inconsistent with both the video evidence widely available, as well as the SRG’s own training manual, which includes “encirclement” as a tactic.
-Success - Erik Bottcher has signed on!-
Now let’s put pressure on City Council:
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Call Members of the Finance Committee:
Diana Ayala: (212)-828-9800 [East Harlem Office], (347)-297-4922 [BX Office], Kamillah Hanks: (718)-556-7370, Julie Menin: (212)-860-1950, Linda Lee: 718-468-0137, Mercedes Narcisse: 718-241-9330, Eric Dinowitz: 718-549-7300, Keith Powers (212)-818-0580, Francisco Moya: (718)-651-1917, Darlene Mealy: (718)-953-3097
"I'm calling to urge Councilmember _____ to support the campaign to disband the NYPD's Strategic Response Group and reinvest its estimated $133 Million in funds back into our communities. As services across the city are facing unprecedented budget cuts, it is unacceptable for our leaders to fund a notoriously violent unit that perpetuates cycles of racial injustice and daily trauma with impunity.
Last year, more than 500 New Yorkers testified to City Council about the harm and trauma that this unit has inflicted on our community members. New Yorkers need housing, libraries, and fully funded city services. We do not need militarized police units who brutalize us and threaten our First Amendment rights.
As a member of the Finance Committee, will Councilmember _______ join [his/her/their] colleagues in signing onto a statement of support of disbanding the SRG, and commit to disbanding this violent unit during the 2025 budget cycle?"
Call Finance Committee Chair Justin Brannan:
(718)-748-5200
(212)-788-7363
"I'm calling to urge the Council Member to support the campaign to disband the NYPD's Strategic Response Group and reinvest its estimated $133 Million in funds back into our communities. As services across the city are facing unprecedented budget cuts, it is unacceptable for our leaders to continue to fund a notoriously violent, racially biased unit that operates with impunity. New Yorkers need housing, libraries, and fully funded city services. We do not need militarized police units who brutalize us with impunity.
Last year, more than 500 New Yorkers testified to City Council about the harm and trauma that this unit has inflicted on our community members. Since then, the SRG has continued to violently police protests across New York City.
As Finance Committee Chair, will the Council Member join 24 of his colleagues in signing onto a statement of support of disbanding the SRG, and commit to disbanding this violent unit during the 2025 budget cycle?"
Hundreds of New Yorkers are speaking up.
A campaign to disband the SRG is about making the real strategic decisions to give our communities the healing and resources they deserve.
Do you work in education or healthcare? Do you take public transit? Do you want to see your community thriving? We are all stakeholders in where the SRG’s millions of dollars go once they are disbanded. New York is worth fighting for, and we need you.
