Child holds black lives matter sign

In Demanding Justice For Black People, Are We Sacrificing the Peace of Black Youth?

We met at Freedom Plaza. This was my first protest since the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. People of all ages, abilities, genders, races and ethnicities were there to stand up for justice. 

With an impassioned call to action from one of the organizers, the crowd headed toward Capitol Hill chanting, “No Justice, No Peace.” I fell in line toward the back, taking in the moment and the movement. 

As we walked, I noticed a dad and his son, no more than 3 or 4, walking with us. They were white. As the protest went on, the dad explained each chant to his son, encouraging him with the rhythm of the crowd.

warrant squad: Overhead view of spread-out group of people outside near fountain at night

New York Politicians Divided on Protester Arrests by Warrant Squad

NEW YORK — After a viral video surfaced showing plainclothes NYPD detectives forcing an anti-police protester into an unmarked police van, questions remain about why they were allowed to make the arrest. The protester, Nikki Stone, 18, was arrested and given a summons early Wednesday morning after New York Police Department officials alleged she damaged five police cameras at City Hall during demonstrations over the last several weeks. 

An NYPD spokesperson also said Stone and others allegedly threw rocks and bottles at police during the arrest, though this was not immediately evident from video at the scene. The warrant squad who arrested Stone is supposed to only respond when an individual has active bench warrants against them for incidents like missing a court date. In this case it remains unclear whether Stone had active warrants. The squad has reportedly targeted protesters in the past, and those most intimately familiar with their tactics said the Stone arrest marks a frightening turning point for detectives.

tag: Line of police hold up riot shields on city street.

Violence, Unmarked Van at NY Protest Draw Comparisons to Portland Clashes

NEW YORK — NYPD officers clashed violently with protestors again Tuesday night, this time in Madison Square Park in Manhattan, leaving one woman to be taken to jail in an unmarked police vehicle and six others in a transport van. The clashes came a week after New York Police Department officers destroyed a protest encampment at City Hall in New York in the predawn hours. Protests in the city and across the country have reignited as images of federal officers battling with protesters in Portland, Oregon have gripped the nation.  

Video shot at the march shows police beating protesters with batons and an unidentified woman being thrown into a silver unmarked van by people who said they were police. 

The video, posted to Instagram, shows people believed to be NYPD officers, though they weren’t wearing uniforms, pulling a woman into a tan minivan with New York license plates before speeding off. The sudden hustling of a protester into an unmarked car drew comparisons to the melee in Portland where federal officers without clear identification grab people off the street and toss them into cars. Uniformed bike officers with the NYPD created a wall around the van as if to provide assistance.

After New York City Chokehold Ban, Schenectady Protesters Push For Similar Legislation

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — By 9:10 p.m. the only sound audible between protesters’ chants was the distant buzz of two drones high above City Hall on Monday. One belonged to the Schenectady Police Department (SPD), which monitored over 100 protesters who had locked arms at the intersection of Clinton and Liberty streets. The other belonged to a local photographer who had joined the protest, and monitored the police presence in the surrounding blocks. As Monday night turned to Tuesday morning, the crowd, which had occupied the City Hall area and the surrounding streets for nine hours, prepared for police to come after them. Some wore vests that could stop rubber bullets, others long pants to protect against tear gas.

probation: Man in pink T-shirt, jeans bumps fist with member of National Guard at protest.

Probation Leaders Need to Take These 5 Steps Now to Fight Racial Injustice

America is reckoning with racial injustice. The days of protests in response to George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police — and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others over the last several years — represent a turning point with implications for our entire nation, and especially for all of us involved in the justice system.

3 New York Police officers stand near squad car in middle of street.

New York Protesters, Police Both Frustrated By Use of Force Charge

After multiple reports of police using excessive force against anti-police brutality protesters in New York and charges filed against only one NYPD officer, activists are questioning whether prosecutors across the city are taking the issue of brutality seriously.

protests: scrapbook shows photo of protest with text pasted on top

Leaders Say Youth Organizations Have Role During Protests

As protests erupt in cities across the nation following George Floyd’s death in police custody, youth-serving agencies appear to have a similar view of their role. Their job is to support young people, provide safe space for them and, in many cases, bring their voices and experiences into the public realm to solve public problems.

UC Berkeley Occupy Protestors Clash with Police, Call for Student Strike

Occupy protestors at the University of California in Berkeley, birthplace of the Freedom of Speech Movement in the 1960s, twice clashed with police Wednesday while trying to establish an encampment on campus. As seen in the video below, campus police hit students with batons while attempting to disperse the crowd. The Demonstrators linked arms while police pushed them back. Protestors are now accusing police of using excessive force. Occupy protests are taking places in numerous cities in California, with the most violence occurring in nearby Oakland where protesters have clashed with police.