Communities United for Police Reform Slams the NYPD and Mayor de Blasio for Failing to Hold the Proud Boys Accountable for Mob Attack in New York City

“Let’s be very clear about what happened: white supremacists were given special treatment by the NYPD, and Mayor de Blasio did nothing to stop it.  On Saturday, NYPD officers were on the scene during the Proud Boys’ bigoted attack. The NYPD officers let these heinous white supremacists walk away after they brutally beat anti-racist protesters. Instead of arresting Gavin McInnes and the Proud Boys on the spot, the NYPD arrested several anti-racist protesters. This is outrageous and wrong. The NYPD refused to arrest Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, who brandished a sword, and refused to hold white supremacists accountable for their violent actions,” said Loyda Colon, a spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform (CPR).

"After the attack, McInnes  said: “I have a lot of support in the NYPD, and I very much appreciate that.” These NYPD officers should face severe consequences for giving special treatment to McInnes and his hateful mob of white supremacist Proud Boys. Mayor de Blasio should have intervened quickly over the weekend to condemn the NYPD’s response to the white supremacist attack. Instead of leading the city in a moment of crisis, de Blasio was in Florida building his national political profile,” said Colon from CPR.

“Here’s the clear and undeniable message the NYPD has sent after the Proud Boys’ attack: if you’re a white supremacist, we’ve got your back. The NYPD operates very differently in communities of color. Too often, people of color are still harassed, arrested, and criminalized in their own neighborhoods, despite de Blasio’s rhetoric of transforming the NYPD. Abusive and discriminatory policing is alive and well in New York City, and de Blasio needs to step up now and show what he is going to do to make the NYPD more accountable to our communities,” said Colon from CPR. 

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