NOT OKAY

De Blasio Changes Tune: ‘Absolutely Unacceptable’ for NYPD Officers to Drive Into Protesters

The mayor said Monday that several incidents caught on video are under investigation, including one officer who drew his gun on protesters.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday denounced several incidents caught on video of New York City police violently interacting with protesters over the weekend, stating the “absolutely unacceptable” events are under investigation. “There is no situation where a police vehicle should drive into a crowd,” he said, referring to the video taken Saturday night in Brooklyn that shows an NYPD SUV driving into a crowd of protesters. “It is dangerous. It is unacceptable.”

The mayor’s harsh words against the NYPD come after he initially let them off the hook for the violence, stating on Saturday he would not “blame” police officers facing such an “impossible situation.” 

On Monday, de Blasio also mentions another video that showed an officer drawing his gun and pointing it at protesters on Sunday. Other videos show an officer pushing a woman to the ground and an officer opening a police car door and hitting protesters. He said that all the incidents are under “immediate” investigation. “That officer should have his gun and badge taken away from him today,” he said of the cop who pointed his gun at protesters. “There will be an investigation immediately to determine larger consequences. Discipline must be meted out in any situation it is merited.”

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Pilar MelendezSenior National Reporter

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