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QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 2, 2020
Protesters demand answers from NYPD
following incidents at Bayside protests
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Bayside’s Black Lives
Matter protesters gathered
outside of the 111th Precinct
on Sunday, July 26, calling
for answers following incidents
that took place when
pro-police rally and BLM
groups faced off at Crocheron
Park two weeks ago,
including one in which a
woman with the BLM group
was slapped in the face by an
unidentified man wearing
an “NYPD” shirt.
Kristen McManu, 37, was
that woman. She attended
Sunday’s protest at the 111th
Precinct, located at 45-06
215th St., and said she hasn’t
heard from the police more
than a week after she filed a
report about the assault.
“Through the community
board in Bayside, I was
told that what happened to
me is not an arrestable offense.
The captain told the
community board that and
that they would not be pursuing
anything,” she said.
“The captain had said he
would meet with me over
a week ago and I have yet
to hear back. They’ve done
nothing and they’re continuing
to do nothing.”
McManus, a Bayside resident,
said the last thing she
heard from the 111th Precinct
was that “nobody was
assigned” to her case.
Following the incidents
at Crocheron Park, QNS
sent the NYPD various
emails and made several
phone calls with questions
regarding what happened.
QNS has followed up for
a week, but each time, an
NYPD spokesperson has
said “there are no updates”
about McManus’ case, and
can’t confirm whether what
happened to her is or isn’t an
arrestable offense.
Protesters were met with
barricades along the vicinity
of the 111th Precinct on Sunday,
with 215th Street closed
off to traffic. Throughout the
almost three hours of protesting,
there were about 30
BLM demonstrators and 20
police officers standing by
the precinct.
The BLM group was
Photo by Dean Moses
joined by some members
of the Warriors in the Garden
— a collective of activists
dedicated to non-violent
protest throughout New
York City — who were also
at the tumultuous protest in
Crocheron Park on July 12.
Video from that day
shows that one of their
members, 21-year-old Yacine
Diallo, was beaten by several
officers, including one
wearing a white shirt, and
later arrested. He told QNS
he didn’t even see it coming
and he was later charged
with “inciting a riot,” among
other charges.
“Last time I was here at
this police precinct, we were
waiting for one of our group
members to get out, because
he got charged with inciting
a riot,” said a member
of Warriors in the Garden.
“When she was hit in the
face, there’s literally a picture
of this right here … It’s
crazy to me that y’all have
done nothing about this.”
At the small protest, there
were teens, adults and even
some kids — one of whom
took to the bullhorn to ask,
“Why aren’t you protecting
people?”
While some cars and
buses honked in support
of the protest, there were
a number of shouts opposing
it. One man in an SUV
stopped in the middle of the
road to yell profanities at the
protesters — “you’re all just
a bunch of misfits,” he yelled
— and ran a red light. Protesters
pointed out to the onlooking
police officers that
he ran a red light, but they
didn’t react.
Yulia Pechenkina, 19,
who grew up in Bayside and
recently moved to Long Island,
said she wanted to support
the protest at the 111th
Precinct after seeing the videos
of McManus as well as
another protester with Warriors
in the Garden who got
called a derogatory word by
a teacher in front of the precinct
as they waited for Diallo
two weeks ago.
“I always thought there
were racists on Long Island,
but not in Bayside,” said
Pechenkina, as she held a
sign with a picture of the
man slapping McManus that
read, “Is it okay to assault
another human being if I’m
wearing an NYPD shirt?
Asking for a ‘friend.'”
While the 111th Precinct
has not answered questions
regarding the incidents that
took place two Sundays ago,
a few days following the
events they posted a pixelated
photo of a protester
on Facebook, stating the
suspect allegedly removed
“a victim’s cellphone” that
same day.
A similar altercation
took place on July 12 in Bay
Ridge, Brooklyn, where propolice
and Black Lives Matter
protesters also faced off
and resulted in a series of
violent moments including
one in which a man with the
pro-police group punched a
woman with the BLM group.
According to Gothamist, the
man was not arrested even
though police saw what happened.
When asked about the reported
incidents in Bayside,
Queens City Councilman
Donovan Richards, chair of
Committee on Public Safety
and the lead candidate for
Queens borough president,
told QNS he’s calling for the
NYPD to “find and charge”
the unidentified man.
“We cannot have a ‘look
the other way’ attitude when
it comes to protecting our
public. Whether someone
is pro-police or not, they
should face the consequences
of their actions. I am calling
for the NYPD to find and
charge the man who insulted
Kristen McManus,” Richards
said. “From what we’ve
been told, body cam footage
was not recorded during the
altercation. That is a huge
red flag.”
Body cam footage should
always remain on when an
officer is engaging with the
public and in the field. What
we see here is unacceptable
on so many levels.”