Last night I got duped into a PR stunt for the NYPD.
It started with a large crowd of at least 3000, and we marched well into the night. The mood was positive and peaceful, but everyone was prepared for the worst from the NYPD. They’ve been brutalizing protesters, bystanders, and essential workers at night with impunity, and many of us fully expected to be arrested. We all know the curfew is just a blank check to let the NYPD to criminalize everyone.
As the crowd thinned out, a young Black man in a beret was leading the chants with his megaphone – he seemed to be the organizer. The usual shouts of “How do you spell racist // N-Y-P-D” were replaced with more generic messages about unity and peace, and then “N-Y-P-D // raise your first”. A police sergeant started walking along the side with us; I figured he was just keeping tabs on us. A full news crew materialized.
Around 11:00, the man in the beret informed us that the police would be “allowing us to disperse”. He’d made a deal that if we went home at 11:30, no one would be arrested. Again, unusual, but we were down to just a few hundred and we were tiring out. No need to force a confrontation, I guess.
He lead us through wall of riot police, who stepped aside to let us through. We stopped at an intersection and kneeled, surrounded by a hundred police in riot gear. He gave us a speech about ending racism and started to give out his Instagram handle before the crowd shouted him down. We were flanked by camera crews. They let us go, but I heard reports of some people being detained anyways.
When I got home, I started diving in. His social media didn’t show any evidence of political activism. He’s a model and influencer from Arizona, working for a PR agency specializing in “street teams”. He’s been interviewed by three major news networks in two days. There’s a post on his Instagram from yesterday asking if he can borrow a beret (now deleted). Other people on twitter dug up a public Facebook post where he’s defending Trump.
I’m sharing this story because it’s part of the learning process. I’m new to protesting, and as good as my intentions are, if I’m not careful I can end up contributing to the enemy. This was also the first of my four protests this week which had any “major” news coverage, on a day where there were literally hundreds throughout the city. Millions took to the streets this weekend.
Be critical. Be cautious. Pay attention to the organizers and their goals. As we switch into marathon mode after one hell of a sprint, we have to maintain focus and protect each other. We will defund and dismantle the NYPD.