Protests rippled throughout the country this weekend after the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota last week. At least 40 cities have imposed curfews due to the protests, which have at times turned violent, and the National Guard has been activated in at least 23 states and Washington, DC.
Images of the unrest have been eye-opening, and many put a spotlight on police use of force when dealing with the protestors.
One of the most shocking images from the protests this past weekend is one from Saturday evening in which two marked NYPD SUV's are driven into a crowd of protestors — drawing fierce criticism.
"These officers need to be brought in and need to be charged," said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, (D-N.Y. 9th district). "They had alternatives, they could have reversed their vehicles...they could have called for backup. They could have called for community affairs to come in to help open up the roadway," she continued.
More police training for protests may be the answer, Clarke said. "We have a very young force here in NYC, and it's important that if, in fact, we are encouraging de-escalation training, that they put it into effect. We have not seen evidence of that in central Brooklyn."
She also cited an incident that was caught on tape where a police officer pushed a female protester to the ground.
Clarke did not condemn the entire police force but she was clear that change has to happen for those officers who refuse to respect members of the community.
"The overwhelming number of officers that I know that patrol the communities in the 9th District of New York have the temperament to be on the force," said Clarke. "There are those bad apples, however, and those bad apples have to be rooted out."
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