↑ A protester being arrested in Brooklyn, NY.
2020
Black Lives Matter
↑ BLM protesters climb atop the Atlantic-Barclays Center subway stop in Brooklyn, NY.
↑ These protests were also fueled by the COVID-19 health crisis. After weeks of intense quarantines the city was primed for revolt.
On May 28, 2020 protests began in NYC as a response to the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police. The have been continuing ever since.
Despite the fear of COVID-19 spread, healthcare professionals across NYC showed their support for the protests.
↑ Marching over the Brooklyn Bridge with 30,000+ protesters during the George Floyd Memorial March on the day of his funeral.
“I can’t breathe.”
↑ This was the bus driver refused to transport arrested protesters to the police station in Brooklyn on May 29. He was about to comply when a brave protester jumped in front of the bus, was partially run over and then promptly arrested. I could see in the bus drivers eyes the enormity of the situation and the disbelief that he was in it. He was my hero that day. After continuing to work through coronavirus, risking his own health and life, he made the quick decision to risk his livelihood to stand up to police brutality.
↑ A protester wiping his face after being pepper sprayed by the NYPD.
They shoved us to the ground and arrested many for it. I was lucky, I didn’t get trampled and got away with just pepper spray in the face. This was a profound experience for me. I’ve never been harmed by police before. I’ve had the privilege of neutral/positive interactions with police. I believed my friends of color when they described fearing the police, but experiencing the brutality first hand allowed me feel it viscerally. It has given me new compassion and new anger. Don’t let this experience scare you, let it ignite you.
A Bigger Picture
Justice for George Floyd
New York City
May 29 - July 31, 2020