A protest in support of police was met by counter-protesters again Sunday and it led to several violent clashes between them and police, including an incident where one officer pushed a protester to the ground and another officer tased him.
Punches, eggs and bottles were thrown as pro-police protesters, who call themselves Blue Lives Matter in contrast to the Black Lives Matter movement, were face to face with counter-protesters as they marched towards the 68th Precinct in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on Sunday.
At one point, police say a man tossed a helmet into the crowd — and a few blocks away he was tased. Elected officials are now calling for the NYPD to investigate the incident that was caught on video by multiple protesters.
The video shows the man yelling at the officers before one of them shoved him out of the street. Another officer then took out his taser and used it on the man, sending him to the ground between a parked car and the sidewalk. The man was then arrested by multiple officers.
The violent clashes continued on Shore Road with a man who supports the Blue Lives Matter protest punching a woman in her face.
Police took the man into custody but protesters attempted to block his ride to the precinct. Black Lives Matter protesters were angered that the man who punched the woman was not handcuffed just as hundreds of anti-police brutality protesters have been since marches began at the end of May.
Police formed a line and their van carrying the suspect eventually got through the crowd – then came more clashes and before specially trained cops with bikes pushed everyone back.
While there were many incidents between demonstrators and police, the NYPD said only two people were arrested on Sunday. No one was arrested in Saturday's clashes.
The Blue Lives Matter demonstrations over the weekend follow weeks of protests against police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd. It also comes as New York City and New York state leaders approved several police reform changes, including reallocating nearly $1 billion from the NYPD's budget.
