Post-Election Chaos: Clashes Erupt Near Washington Square Park

Posted on: November 5th, 2020 at 5:00 am by

Photo: @NYPDnews

It was chaos downtown last night, as clashes erupted between protesters and police officers over the presidential election.

Gothamist reported that demonstrators gathered in Washington Square Park shortly before 8:00pm, and were later met by “hundreds of NYPD officers.” It turned rowdy as some set small fires and berated police for supporting President Trump; dozens were arrested. Helicopters circled the air most of the night.

Some cops were seen beating protesters with fists and batons, and using bicycles for crowd control.

Soon, the protesters were outnumbered by the police. Armored NYPD officers on bicycles began making a few arrests, shoving some people to the ground. Eventually, the police kettled a crowd of the remaining protesters on 5th Avenue. The protesters shouted “let us disperse,” but the NYPD closed in to arrest them, swinging fists and batons. Many of the officers wearing armor did not display any identification. One officer told a reporter they didn’t need to.

 

Recent Stories

Art
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot Returns from COVID-19 Sidelines

All the world’s a stage… To honor what would be the Bard’s 457th birthday, the ever-so-popular Shakespeare in the Parking Lot is back for a two night affair. Being the first performance from the troupe since the pandemic sidelined it in 2020, the event promises evenings filled with scenes, songs, sonnets, and soliloquies from the […]

Transportation
Pedestrian Bridge Decay in Corlears Hook Park?

Strange things afoot. For a few days in mid-March, the pedestrian bridge connecting Corlears Hook Park to the East River greenway was closed off. No explanation; just cones and netting. Neighbors claimed that the bridge itself was crumbling, and that concrete debris fell onto the FDR roadway below. However, after a few days closed to […]

Food
Opposition Mounts Against Public Hotel Garden Revamp on Chrystie Street

The 28-story Public Hotel hopes to reconfigure its garden area along Chrystie Street. Neighbors are not having it. Posters in the immediate vicinity display the opposition to the liquor license modification. Claiming that the new garden format would be an “open air eating and drinking playground for the rich.” According to materials submitted to the […]

Real Estate
Developer to Close Lands End II Parking Lot by Month End for New 700-Foot Towers

Not two months after the Appellate Court overturned community lawsuits stopping the Two Bridges mega-developments, one of said projects is now moving forward. Tenants of the Lands End II housing complex were informed, via letter, that the rear parking lot will close by the end of April to make way for the 700-foot megatowers by […]

Art
An Art Show to Benefit the Educational Alliance

A new art exhibit to support the Educational Alliance and its Manny Cantor Center kicks off this weekend. Drawing inspiration from the recently-deposed Hester Street Fair, “CONTINUE TO BE” is a celebratory show welcoming the warmth and hope of springtime in the city, featuring both new and old work from local photographers who have documented life […]