Black trans lives matter protesters and cops came to blows Thursday night after the protesters apparently sprayed a statue near Columbus Circle – and at the entrance of Central Park – with anti-cop graffiti and red paint resembling blood.
A group of hundreds of protesters were seen marching through Manhattan on Thursday, apparently under the banner of black trans lives, before vandalizing a statue in Columbus Circle and clashing with police during a chaotic melee.
It’s not clear what kicked off the chaotic scene. Police regularly patrol the area because it’s near Central Park, near a statue of Christopher Columbus that has become a lightening rod among some and also near the Trump International Hotel.
The NYPD wouldn’t provide specifics when asked by DailyMail.com for details on what happened, saying they were still gathering details from officers on the scene. At least two people had been arrested early Friday.
Several protesters were seen brawling with NYPD officers while others threw an unidentified liquid at them, video shows. One protester was seemingly heard on video attempting to spit on cops.
‘What the f**k is wrong with you?’ one person on the video screams at police as officers grabbed protesters.
The protest comes as the U.S. grapples with the Ma’Khia Byrant shooting in Ohio, the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict over George Floyd’s murder and the funeral for Daunte Wright, who was shot by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
The protesters and cops were seen shoving and punching each in the brawl while one protester fell to the ground.
Video shows officers trying to arrest a protester and crowding around a cab as the woman tried to flee. Other protesters tried to block their move. It is unclear whether an arrest was made.
Dozens of police officers were seen carrying zip ties in the aftermath – and the department tweeted it was trying to ‘deescalate the situation’ to prevent further damage.
‘We respect’s everyone right to peacefully protest, but vandalism is not part of peaceful protest. We are working to de-escalate the situation to prevent further damage from occurring,’ the NYPD tweeted.
The protest was part of weekly ‘Stonewall Protests’ – which according to its Instagram are ‘demonstrations by black queer and black trans activists centered on the acknowledgment of all black life.’
An NYPD spokesperson told DailyMail.com that at least two people had been arrested in Columbus Circle for the protest, though did not have their charges immediately available.