NYPD chief takes a knee with protesters in an act of solidarity
Sarah Al-Arshani INSIDER
6/1/2020

Chief of Department of the New York City Police, Terence Monahan, hugs an activist as protesters paused while walking in New York, Monday, June 1, 2020. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle


New York City's Chief of Departments took a stand of solidarity with George Floyd protestors by taking a knee on Monday. 

Terence Monahan hugged and spoke with protestors in Washington Square Park.

New York City Police Department Chief of Departments took a knee alongside those protesting the death of George Floyd in Washington Square Park on Monday.

Video shows Chief of Departments Terence Monahan taking a knee and hugging and speaking with protestors.

According to WABC, this came after a few people threw bottles at the cops. In a tweet, Fox Correspondent Bryan Llenas said some protestors tried to deescalate the situation.

A protester told Monahan that demonstrators need support and help to organize.

"Thank you for supporting us," one person said in the video. "We gotta continue supporting each other."
—Bryan Llenas (@BryanLlenas) June 1, 2020

The protester also told Monahan: "I'm gonna come to your office, so we can talk. We gone talk so we can organize, alright."

He continued: "We gone continue marching peacefully. I promise you, alright. Have a good day. I love you."

Monahan told protestors to be safe.

"The people who live in New York want New York to end the violence," Monahan said. "Get the intruders that are not from this city the h--- out of here and give us back our city."

Monahan added: "We've had five days of war here, that needs to end. It has to end today."

He told peaceful protestors to go home when the sun goes down.

"Leave it out to those who are to cause damage and we'll get rid of them," he said. "We'll get rid of those that are ruining your neighborhood."

Protests erupted across multiple cities after the death of Floyd last week. A video circulated showing Floyd become unresponsive as ex-officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee to Floyd's neck. All four officers involved in the incident were fired, and Chauvin has been arrested and charged. Protestors are calling for the other three officers to be charged.