BY ZACH WILLIAMS | A growing national movement against police brutality and institutionalized racism showed no signs of waning in the days following a demonstration that brought tens of thousands of people through the streets of Manhattan on Dec. 13.
Longtime activists say they have seen nothing like the daily protests led by young people, which have inspired an increasing number of New Yorkers to participate ever since a grand jury announced on Dec. 3 that a New York Police Department officer would not face criminal charges for placing a fatal chokehold on Eric Garner, an unarmed black man from Staten Island. Just eight days before, a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, decided the same for the police officer who killed teenager Michael Brown.
In response, activists continue to agitate for police reforms across the country. But few places have seen protest activity as densely concentrated as that in Manhattan. Self-identified protesters, demonstrators and activists have marched through the Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen and elsewhere. They have lain down in symbolic death in Times Square, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Penn Station, Columbus Circle, Grand Central Station and elsewhere.
Crowds with arms up in surrender entered Macy’s at Herald Square chanting, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” and the Disney Store near Times Square. Protesters have blocked traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel, on the West Side Highway and other thoroughfares. Honking erupts in response, often in solidarity.
It’s no coincidence that a great amount of such activity occurs in Midtown, according to state Senator Brad Hoylman — who took part in last Saturday’s Millions March NYC. The confluence of tourism, culture and media at the crossroads of the world makes Times Square particularly attractive for political activity, he said.
“It’s a good place to get attention, and these demonstrators are smart and they want their voices heard,” he added.
In years past, various protests have called for people to shut down business in the city, but those efforts fell short. This new outburst of dissent, however, continues to show longevity, according to seasoned activists.
“Many of us have been in the struggle for many, many years and we have never seen anything like it,” said Toni Arenstein, a Chelsea resident and member of Peoples Power Assemblies (peoplespowerassemblies.org) on W. 24 St.
There are also concrete demands.
They demand that the officers involved in the fatal arrest effort of Eric Garner receive punishment both through the department and a federal indictment. They want the federal Department of Justice and Philip Eure, the New York Police Department’s inspector general, to further investigate the department’s use of force against minorities.
In addition, they say, Governor Andrew Cuomo should back the appointment of a state special prosecutor to investigate further.
And “broken windows” — the law enforcement philosophy that espouses punishing small offenses to prevent violent crime — should end, according to the demands published on ThisStopsToday.org.
The organization behind the Web site — a coalition of activist groups — goes by the moniker #ThisStopsToday. The name is also used as a hashtag on Twitter, added within a tweet as an indication of a topic. Other popular hashtags utilized by the activists in recent weeks include #EricGarner, #ICantBreathe and #Ferguson.
Coupled with the right meeting spot, activists can quickly rally or read the latest developments by searching the social media platform for such hashtags.
The marches and die-ins have continued every day since Dec. 3.
The activists also continue to organize, both face to face and in cyberspace. About 75 of them packed the Chelsea office of Peoples Power Assemblies on Dec. 6 and Dec. 10 to discuss how the movement should evolve.
“This is one of the centers in the city for organizing these protests, but we are not the only center,” said Larry Holmes, a P.P.A. organizer at the Dec. 6 meeting. “Some are not even using centers. Some are just going on social media.”
They also discussed demands, as well as a request from #ThisStopsToday for individual organizations to plan events throughout the 11 days of action occurring from Dec. 10 to Dec. 21 in order to spread resources evenly. The length of time in the effort references the number of times that Garner said, “I can’t breathe,” before he died on July 17.
In forums such as these, they hash out the details of as small as who can carry signs to the next event and as large as the movement’s overall goals. Experience spreads along with suggestions to deploy more activists on roller skates or bicycles as scouts during future actions.
But divisions have arisen as well, particularly when it comes to the involvement of white people within the movement at what some activists say is the expense of people of color who should lead the way. Most activists insist on nonviolence while some have done otherwise, most notably on the Brooklyn Bridge on Dec. 13 when two police officers were beaten by a small group of marchers.
And actions continue to pop up in unexpected places. Basketball players for the Brooklyn Nets, as well as Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, donned black shirts reading “I Can’t Breathe” before a game on Dec. 9 as protesters rallied outside the Barclays Center on Flatbush Ave. Just hours before, city councilmembers staged their own die-in on the City Hall steps.
“Our country finds itself confronted with the tragic results of deep-rooted bias and inequality,” said Corey Johnson, one of about two dozen councilmembers involved in that die-in. “We are in desperate need of change, and unfortunately, New York City is no exception.”
Meanwhile, as of press time, the tweets continue with four more days of planned actions in the 11-day effort. With their social media savvy and a cause appealing to their ideals, young people have a unique opportunity, according to Emma Morgan-Bennett, a student organizer at Bard High School Early College on E. Houston St.
“We are energetic and young and can march for as long as we want,” she said. “Also, the most important fact is that if we don’t get off our butts and change things, this is the America we are going to have to live with.”
