NYPD Officers Clash With 'Occupy City Hall' Protesters

There were confrontations between police and protesters occupying City Hall Park in New York on Tuesday morning, June 30, the day city legislators were expected to vote on a budget that would include cuts to police funding.

This footage, shared by protester Ben Tracy, shows intense scenes between officers and demonstrators just after 5 am on Tuesday.

A statement from Vocal NY, the group leading the occupation of City Hall Park, said, “The New York City Budget is due in by July 1st, 2020 — we are demanding that NYPD is defunded by $1 billion and that money is used to invest in the things that really make our communities safe like housing, health care, education, and more.”

According to The New York Times, a cut in police funding of $1 billion would be included in an austerity budget agreed to by Mayor Bill de Blasio and officials.

However, the Times said about half that figure would be achieved through “budgetary sleight of hand.” School safety officers, currently under the auspices of the NYPD, would be moved to the authority of the Department of Education, the Times said. Credit: Ben Tracy via Storyful