Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton is right: The city needs to start treating unruly pro-Hamas “protesters” as the goons they are — especially as they’re mobilizing to target the iconic New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.
Police officers should not be treating the volatile, traffic-snarling, antisemitic “Flood NYC for Palestine” demonstrators with kid gloves.
They’re not simply exercising their free-speech rights: They’re attacking civic life.
They’ve done their best to disrupt the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the annual tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, Christmas services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and caroling in Washington Square Park.
They’ve targeted commuters by aiming to close Grand Central and blocking the Brooklyn Bridge, and harassed holiday travelers by closing traffic at JFK.
This isn’t speech, it’s intimidation and blackmail.
As Bratton advises, the city should be hitting them with criminal charges that can “screw them up for the rest of their damn lives.”
He’s also right that the city gave up crucial public-order ground in settling the lawsuit over the also-unacceptable “protests” after the 2020 death of George Floyd.
Bad enough that City Hall agreed to pay $13 million — nearly $10K per rioter arrested during that summer’s looting and arson; worse that the Adams administration put an end to NYPD “kettling” of disruptive crowds, which allowed for orderly resolution of civic-blackmail efforts like the pro-Hamas crew is pulling now.
Mayor Adams defended that as ensuring that “we are both protecting public safety and respecting protesters’ First Amendment rights”; now he admits it has made officers “hesitant” in handling large, out-of-control marches.
He blames the advice of city lawyers for accepting the kettling ban; sorry, sir, the buck stops at your desk.
It’s time to tear up that agreement and let Police Commissioner Edward Caban and the NYPD’s ranks do their job.
These “protesters” are warring on your city, Mr. Mayor: Stop the pre-emptive surrender.
