Occupy City Hall Protest Continues for Fifth Straight Day in NYC (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Demonstrators have camped out in front of New York's City Hall for the fifth straight day, demanding cuts to police funding, in the hope of ending police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd.
Hundreds of protesters camped outside City Hall are demanding that lawmakers slash the New York City police budget by $1billion.
The 'Occupy City Hall' encampment began forming Tuesday following weeks of street protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and other black Americans killed by law enforcement, the Daily Mail reported.
The protesters are part of a national 'defund the police' movement seeking more spending on other needs like housing and education and say they won't move until they see a budget cut.
Police officials warned the budget cut would come at a time when the city has seen a surge in shootings during the first three weeks in June.
The demonstrators gathered at City Hall are demanding the New York City Council City Council cut at least $1 billion from the police department's current $6 billion budget when it begins considering a new city budget.
According to NY1, protesters have designated the area police free, and say officers have been keeping their distance.
The encampment was told it is allowed to remain and protest as long as no structures were set up, the New York Post reported.
Organizers have called it 'Occupy City Hall' - a nod to the 2010 Occupy Wall Street movement a few blocks away in Zuccotti Park.
On Saturday, the fifth straight day of the encampment, a large group gathered on the steps of Tweed Courthouse near City Hall, all wearing face masks and holding signs reading 'Defund the Police'.
The recent calls for the defunding of police come after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked worldwide protests.
Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on Floyd's neck even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.
Four former police officers have been charged in connection with his murder.
His death prompted global demonstrations about police brutality and slayings of people of color.
In Minneapolis, the city council has voted to abolish the police department and to replace it with a new community-driven system.
