Topline
Four people were arrested in New York City on Sunday after police clashed with crowds during Pride celebrations, marking the first year since organizers banned the force from participating in the event.
Police clash with revelers during Gay Pride in New York City 2021.
Key Facts
NYPD officers arrested four people around the city’s Washington Square Park Sunday, a spokesperson told Forbes, allegedly for attempting to pass through a police barricade, biting an officer, throwing bottles at police and for slapping an officer’s hand.
Reporters posting on social media from the scene described large numbers of police, some in riot gear or mounted on bicycles, confronting crowds and blocked roads.
There were numerous reports of the force using pepper spray against crowds, though the NYPD has not confirmed this and did not respond to Forbes’ request for comment on the issue.
Uniformed NYPD officers were barred from taking part in this year’s event after organizers took steps to create “safer spaces… at a time when violence against marginalized groups, specifically BIPOC and trans communities, has continued to escalate.”
The Gay Officers Action League said it was “disheartened” by the “shameful” ban, set to last until 2025, which organizers said is a “challenge” to law enforcement to “acknowledge their harm (to marginalized communities) and correct course.”
The force’s presence at Pride was supposed to be minimal and NYC Pride arranged for private security to be in place, though Business Insider’s Meredith Cash tweeted that there were “hundreds of officers” at the event.
Key Background
This year's Pride celebrations, the first to be held in person since the start of the pandemic, were smaller than would usually be expected, with some events taking place virtually. While the large Pride March was a mostly virtual affair for the second year running, other marches, including the Queer Liberation March & Rally and the Dyke March, took place in person. The ongoing participation of police forces in Pride events has stirred controversy within the LGBT+ community around the world. Some events, like New York and Toronto, have barred uniformed officers from taking part, while others, including London and Sydney, have decided to allow them to take part.
Further Reading
At least 3 arrested around Washington Square Park during Pride celebrations (PIX11)
New York Holds First Pride March Since The Coronavirus Pandemic Began (Forbes)
