FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 4, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
protest
Cuomo slams NYC protests as ‘counterproductive’ in COVID-19 battle
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday
that the nightly protests in New York
City over the police-involved death of
Minneapolis’ George Floyd are “counterproductive”
Attorney general to review NYPD actions at Brooklyn protest
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
State Attorney General Letitia James
will lead a swift , independent investigation
into the NYPD’s actions while
responding to Friday night’s wild protest
outside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said during
his daily press briefi ng Saturday that
he and Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed on
an independent review into the scuffl es
between police and protesters on May 29.
More than 3,000 people attended the
protests, and over 200 of them were
arrested. Multiple videos surfaced in news
reports and social media of police and
protesters squaring off with one another.
Demonstrators hurled objects at cops,
and offi cers were seen shoving some individuals
to the ground or restraining them.
Cuomo expressed confi dence in James
to conduct an impartial investigation that
will “review all the facts, police procedures
and the crowd’s actions.” He asks
James to complete it within 30 days.
“James is an independently elected
offi cial in New York state,” Cuomo said.
“She has proven herself confi dent and
capable of being independent, and we’re
going to ask her to take a short period of
time to review last night and do a report
to the public. Let’s see what we can learn.”
Speaking about the protest itself, Cuomo
sympathized with
those outraged
by the police-involved
death of
George Floyd in
Minneapolis.
He said he
shared the
outrage
of the
protesters and others who were appalled
by the incident, the latest in a series of
deadly injustices in America over the past
30 years.
“Th is started with Rodney King, that
was 30 years ago. We suff ered in this
city with Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo,
Sean Bell, Eric Garner,” Cuomo said.
“How many times have we seen the same
situation? Yes, the names change — but
the color doesn’t, and that is the painful
reality of this situation. And it’s not just
30 years, it is this nation’s history of discrimination
and racism dating back hundreds
of years.”
Yet Cuomo stressed that “violence is
not the answer” in ending racial injustice
in America.
“It is counterproductive
because the violence then
obscures the righteousness
of the
message and the
mission, and you
lose the point
in response,” he
added. “It allows
people who choose
to scapegoat to
point to the violence
rather than the action that created
the reaction. Th e violence allows people to
talk about the violence as opposed to honestly
addressing the situation that incited
the violence.”
Cuomo said he had confi dence de
Blasio and NYPD leadership, cognizant
of Friday’s events, would work Saturday
to ensure they won’t be repeated going
forward.
But he didn’t weigh in with an opinion
of reports about any specifi c NYPD
actions Friday, saying he would wait for
the information gathered by James’ report.
Asked if there was concern that the protests
would potentially lead to an increase
in COVID-19 cases — which the state
has worked three months to fi nally bring
down — Cuomo acknowledged that he
was, and encouraged those demonstrating
to protect themselves from exposure.
“You have a right to demonstrate and
protest, God bless America, but you don’t
have a right to infect other people,” he
observed. “You don’t have a right to act
in a way that’s going to jeopardize public
health. Th e eff ectiveness of a mask, as
simple as that seems, the more we learn,
the more we realize how eff ective it is.
Photo by Todd Maisel Demonstrate with a mask on!”
to both the cause of justice
and the city’s battle against the COVID-
19 pandemic.
Cuomo told reporters at his daily press
briefi ng that he would speak with Mayor
Bill de Blasio about possibly implementing
a curfew in New York City following
more looting and vandalism that took
place Sunday night during demonstrations
in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Th e
National Guard is on standby and could
be sent to the city if necessary.
While expressing support for the protesters
and their desire for change, the
governor suggested that bad actors are
hijacking the nightly protests to cause
mischief. Th e disturbances, Cuomo said,
both undermine the protests’ mission and
create scapegoats for opponents of fundamental
change.
“I don’t even believe it’s the protesters. I
believe there are people who are using this
moment and using the protests for their
own purpose,” the governor said. “Th ere
are people who want to sow the seeds of
anarchy and want to disrupt. Th ere are
people who want to steal. And here’s the
moment where you can use the moment
to steal, to spread chaos.”
He also expressed concern that the mass
gatherings — even as many protesters
take precautions such as wearing masks
— might lead to another spike in COVID-
19 cases. Th e pandemic eff ectively shut
the state down for weeks, but COVID-19
cases have dropped dramatically.
Just 54 deaths were recorded Sunday,
and less than 1,000 of the 50,000 tests for
COVID-19 on May 31 had come back
positive.
“We’re talking about reopening in New
York City in one week, and now we’ve
seen these mass gatherings that could
exacerbate the COVID-19 spread,” said
Cuomo, referring to the scheduled June
8 target date for the fi ve boroughs’ fi rst
phase of reopening. “Th is could be potentially
infecting hundreds and hundreds of
people aft er everything we’ve done. We
have to take a minute to ask ourselves,
what are we doing here?”
Cuomo also took the NYPD to task
for some actions which, he charged, have
“exacerbated the anger.”
“Th ere are videos of some NYPD
actions that are very disturbing,” he said.
“Th ere are videos of NYPD cars driving
into a crowd that are very disturbing, pulling
a mask down to pepper spray a person,
throwing a woman to the ground. It’s
on video. Th e looting is on video, but so is
the NYPD activity.”
Since Th ursday, protesters across the
city have marched calling for an end to
police brutality and justice for the victims
of it.
Th ey’ve chanted the names of George
Floyd and others who have died without
just cause in police actions across the
United States.
Th ough the anger and outrage have
been made clear — and are justifi ed,
Cuomo observed — the governor suggested
that the protests haven’t “articulated”
what needs to be done to bring about
the desired change.
“We haven’t articulated what the protests
are about besides unhappiness and
outrage. We haven’t said this is what we
want done, here’s the agenda,” he said
Monday.
To that end, Cuomo presented something
that could be used as a blueprint for
activists and elected offi cials across the
country alike to bring about such change:
a “Positive Reform Agenda.”
Th e agenda calls for the following: A
national ban on police use of excessive
force or chokeholds; Independent investigations
of police abuse; Disclosure of disciplinary
records of police offi cers under
investigation; Education equity, or boosting
resources for schools in low-income
neighborhoods; An anti-poverty agenda
designed to boost economic opportunity
for all; and A national aff ordable housing
program.
“Let’s use this moment as a moment of
change,” Cuomo said.
“When does change come? When the
stars align and society focuses and the
people focus to such an extent that the
politicians follow the people. Th at’s when
change comes. Some say, ‘Well, the leaders
lead.’ Baloney. Th e people lead, and
then the politicians see the people moving,
and the politicians run to catch up to
the people.”
Photo by Todd Maisel
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