Track #4: Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day
January 18th 2021: City Hall, New York
^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 footage and photos courtesy of Tom Ella
300 protestors marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
“The NYPD kicked them over, and over, and over again, so many times I lost count.”
300 protestors marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They were followed by over 18 NYPD vans. When the protestors crossed the bridge into City Hall Park, they saw lines of NYPD officers, outfitted in riot gear, stepping out of their vehicles and standing in the street.
The SRG played a dispersal order, lined up in the roadway, and blocked protestors from moving off the sidewalk. When demonstrators started moving south down the street, the NYPD charged and arrested people en masse. The officers, led by the SRG, chased down, tackled, and arrested civilians, both on the roadway and in the park itself.
Protest monitors documented several NYPD officers chasing protestors into City Hall Park and arresting them. Over 28 demonstrators were arrested that night, and several were sent to the hospital for their injuries.
-Success - Chris Marte has signed on!-
Now let’s put pressure on City Council:
Send pre-written messages to 30+ elected officials with one click:
Trouble loading this email? Settings > Your email application > select “Default Email App”
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?"
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?"
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.
