New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed a massive crowd during a George Floyd tribute rally yesterday just hours after Governor Andrew Cuomo urged protesters to get screened for coronavirus.
De Blasio spoke at a memorial for George Floyd yesterday, with the crowd booing and heckling from the moment he arrived, shouting over him as he urged that Floyd’s death not be in vain.
De Blasio’s appearance in front of the 10,000-strong crowd came shortly after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said several days and nights of demonstrations in the state could accelerate the spread of the coronavirus, and urged protesters to get tested.
Yesterday was the first day New York City reported no new deaths from the novel coronavirus.
‘I’m not a nervous Nellie, I’m just looking at the numbers,’ Cuomo said, noting that an estimated 30,000 people have protested in the state.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks to an estimated 10,000 people as they gather in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza Park for a memorial service for George Floyd yesterday in New York City
An estimated 10,000 people gather in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza Park for a memorial service for George Floyd, the man killed by a Minneapolis police officer yesterday in New York City
Chirlane McCray and Bill de Blasio speak to those attending at Cadman Plaza George Floyd memorial, New York, USA yesterday
Terrence Floyd (left) George Floyd’s brother and a Brooklyn resident listen to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio speak as they joins protesters to demonstrate the death of Floyd yesterday in New York
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio listens as his wife, First Lady Chirlane McCray, speaks to an estimated 10,000 people as they gather in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza Park for a memorial service for George Floyd yesterday in New York City
Thousands of protesters march over the Brooklyn Bridge to demonstrate against the death of George Floyd yesterday
‘Many wear masks. But there is no social distancing. Police are in their face … If you were at a protest, get a test, please.’
According to preliminary data from the city’s health department, zero additional deaths were confirmed between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Officials cautioned that it’s still possible that the number could be upgraded due to lag times in reporting, and because the three probable coronavirus deaths during that period are still under investigation.
Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, New York State has reported 379,937 cases and 30,011 deaths, most of which were in the city.
Terrence Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, joins over 5000 marchers walking over the Brooklyn Bridge to honor the memory of George in New York
New York City may have reached a major milestone in its battle against coronavirus as no new deaths were reported between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to preliminary data
The total death toll in New York City did increase by 59 on Wednesday due to deaths that occurred on previous days but had not yet been confirmed
As of Thursday at least 202,319 coronavirus infections have been confirmed in New York City
Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital yesterday in New York City
Protesters the death of George Floyd yesterday on top of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York
De Blasio received an icy reception at the vigil in Brooklyn, with some of the speakers taking shots after videos on social media the night before showed NYPD officers using batons on peaceful demonstrators.
They immediately booed de Blasio as he walked across the stage and chanted: ‘De Blasio go home!’ and ‘Vote them out!’
‘We have too much to change in this city and this country,’ he said. ‘We will not be about words in this city; we will be about change.’
The Democrat mayor said: ‘For all of us who have not walked a mile in the shoes of the black community, or communities of color, all of us who know white privilege, we need to do more, because we don’t even fully recognize the daily pain that the racism in this society causes.’
The mayor left shortly after delivering his speech and later addressed New Yorkers again on Twitter.
People kneel as they attend a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in New York City, New York, U.S. yesterday
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted George Floyd’s brother, Terrence yesterday, saying: ‘thank you for inviting Chirlane and me today and for working to bring our city together. To my fellow New Yorkers, I hear your anger and your grief. And I promise you we won’t let this moment pass without real reform
Thousands of protesters march with Terence Floyd’s (centre with NY hat), brother George Floyd over the Brooklyn Bridge to demonstrate his brother’s death on June 4, 2020 in New York
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks alongside his wife Chirlane McCray during a memorial service for George Floyd at Cadman Plaza Park in the Brooklyn borough of New York yesterday
George Floyd’s brother, Terrence, speaks to an estimated 10,000 people as they gather in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza Park yesterday for a memorial service for George Floyd, the man killed by a Minneapolis police officer
Floyds brother, Terrence, Mayor Bill de Blasio, local politicians and civic and religious leaders also attended the event before marching over the Brooklyn Bridge
Protesters march over the Brooklyn Bridge to demonstrate the death of George Floyd yesterday in New York
‘To George Floyd’s brother, Terrence: thank you for inviting Chirlane and me today and for working to bring our city together. To my fellow New Yorkers, I hear your anger and your grief. And I promise you we won’t let this moment pass without real reform,’ he said.
Earlier, de Blasio said police have used ‘a lot of restraint’ overall and added, ‘but if there’s anything that needs to be reviewed, it will be.’
An estimated 10,000 people had gathered for the vigil at Cadman Plaza Park in support of Floyd and his family, including brother Terrence, who thanked the crowd for their demonstrations.
‘You are not alone,’ the large crowd chanted before an emotional Terrence Floyd, wearing a mask and a T-shirt bearing his brother’s likeness, thanked them for their support.
Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity march over the Brooklyn Bridge after a memorial service for George Floyd, the man killed by a Minneapolis police officer, yesterday in the Brooklyn borough of New York City
An estimated 10,000 people gather in Brooklyns Cadman Plaza Park for a memorial service for George Floyd, the man killed by a Minneapolis police officer yesterday in New York City
Protesters who were arrested by police for breaking a curfew during a solidarity rally calling for justice over the death of George Floyd, sit on a sidewalk as they wait to be taken away in a van on Thursday yesterday in New York
Protesters who were arrested by police for breaking a curfew during a solidarity rally calling for justice over the death of George Floyd, sit on a sidewalk as they wait to be taken away in a van yesterday in New York
Protesters gather to demonstrate the death of George Floyd yesterday in New York
A person wearing a box with ‘Black Lives Matter’ written on the side of it stands on the Brooklyn Bridge following a memorial service for George Floyd, the man killed by a Minneapolis police officer in Brooklyns Cadman Plaza Park on June 04, 2020 in New York City
‘I thank God for you all showing love to my brother,’ he said.
Both Cuomo and de Blasio have said protesters should abide by the curfew to deter the violence, vandalism and destruction that followed protests Sunday and Monday nights.
But as darkness fell Thursday, cries of ‘George Floyd’ and ‘No justice, no peace’ continued to ring out from crowds, even as they shrank.
De Blasio has come under fire by both citizens and public officials for supporting police officers’ aggressive tactics but also for failing to prevent looters from damaging and vandalizing businesses earlier in the week.
Protesters gather to demonstrate the death of George Floyd yesterday on top of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York
Protesters stayed on the streets of New York City after curfew for another day Thursday, spurred by the death of George Floyd.
Actions by the protesters included gathering at Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza, the site where police used batons against demonstrators who were out past the city-imposed curfew a night earlier.
At some locations, officials watched, but didn’t immediately move in. At other spots, they made orderly arrests without the batons and riot gear.