Protesters at NYC's City Hall cover buildings in graffiti, barricade subways, leave piles of stinking trash and throw dirty clothes over railings as they celebrate $1billion being cut from the NYPD's budget (17 Pics)
New York City's 'Occupy City Hall' protest has seen demonstrators cover buildings with graffiti, barricade subways, leave piles of trash and throw clothes over railings.
Protesters have been camped outside City Hall for more than a week now as calls for widespread police reform and for the NYPD to be defunded have escalated in the weeks following the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd at the hands of white cop Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis.
Demonstrations calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism show no signs of abating in the Big Apple where Floyd's killing reignited outrage felt by New Yorkers following the death of black man Eric Garner in NYPD custody back in 2014.
But at the zone outside City Hall, dubbed 'Abolition Park' by it occupiers, what started as a sit-in demanding change and police reform has now descended into a rundown, smelly area after they celebrated $1billion being cut from the NYPD's budget.
New York City's 'Occupy City Hall' protest has transformed Manhattan, with graffiti'd buildings, barricaded subway stations and strewn clothes littering the park and streets
Protesters have been camped outside City Hall for more than a week now as calls for widespread police reform and for the NYPD to be defunded escalated in the weeks following the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd at the hands of white cop Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Scenes at the camp Thursday
Brooklyn Bridge City Hall subway station was barricaded with wooden crates, metal railings and other debris
Some protesters have settled in on chairs while others perch on the grass behind where rubbish bags and towels are seen littering the park
On Thursday, the campsite's image of an organized, occupied protest area was a thing of the past.
Clothing and sheets were seen flung over railings in the street, while graffiti demanding justice and slamming law enforcement was scrawled on the pavements.
Brooklyn Bridge City Hall subway station was barricaded with wooden crates, metal railings and other debris blocking commuters coming and going into the city.
Some protesters were pictured looking settled in on chairs while others perched on grass now littered with rubbish bags and towels.
The City Hall building itself was barely recognizable compared to a week ago, with graffiti scrawled across its walls.
Signs reading 'Defund the police' and 'Abolish the police' were also seen plastered around the zone.
The famous pro-Trump Naked Cowboy who ordinarily entertains tourists in Times Square was once again thrown out of the area by protesters Thursday - one day after they turfed him out Wednesday when he showed up in underwear and holding a guitar covered in Trump stickers.
Demonstrations calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism show no signs of abating in the Big Apple where protesters have set up camp. Clothes and sheets are pictured hanging over the railings in the area Thursday
Outside City Hall, what started as a sit-in demanding change and police reform has descended into an area that smells and has clothes strewn round. A sign shows the protester's demands while graffiti is seen on the pavement
The City Hall building itself is barely recognizable compared to a week ago, with graffiti scrawled across its walls
'No Justice' is scrawled on a statues outside City Hall where protesters have been camped out for a week
Late Tuesday, the City Council voted in favor of slashing the NYPD budget by more than $1 billion, meaning it is canceling the recruitment of 1,163 new officers, stripping $484million from the overtime budget and transfering $354million to other services.
The contentious budget passed the City Council with 32 votes in favor and an unusually large 17 votes against just ahead of the midnight deadline following hours of delays.
Protesters toasted their victory Wednesday with prosecco following the news of the cuts.
But people continued to gather outside City Hall Thursday and showed no signs of packing up and going home despite the mark of progress.
Food, medical and information stations have been set up in the area as protesters appear to be there for the long haul as they say the cuts do not go far enough and the NYPD should be defunded entirely.
Officers tried to clear barricades surrounding the park Wednesday and tried to push back protesters who spilled over from the park and onto the street in attempts to expand their 'cop free' zone.
Three people were arrested before the situation calmed down again.
Scenes of the city's decline Thursday come the same day Mayor Bill de Blasio temporarily called off the painting of a 'Black Lives Matter mural' just feet from the US president's former home in Trump Tower, but promised that the mural will go ahead next week.
Protesters continued to gather outside City Hall Thursday and showed no signs of packing up and going home
Signs reading 'Defund the police' and 'Abolish the police' have been plastered around the zone
Food, medical and information stations have also been set up in the area as protesters say cuts to the NYPD's budget do not go far enough and the force should be defunded entirely
Scenes of the city's decline come the same day Mayor Bill de Blasio temporarily called off the painting of a ' Black Lives Matter mural' just feet from the US president's former home in Trump Tower, but promised that the mural will go ahead next week
Protesters put up tarpaulin in preparation for potential thunderstorms which have done little to deter the crowd over the last few days
De Blasio Thursday announced he was postponing the painting of the Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Thursday.
No explanation was given by City Hall as to why the painting was postponed last minute and rescheduled to an unspecified time next week.
The postponement came after President Trump and de Blasio engaged in a Twitter spat over the mural on Wednesday night with Trump branding it a 'symbol of hate' and demanding the money for its creation be spent on the NYPD instead.
Many of the luxury shops close to where the mural is planned had barricades set up on Thursday morning, and cops were seen guarding the entrance to Trump Tower.
'It has been postponed due to scheduling change,' a city spokesperson told the New York Post. 'We’ll be sending out more details in the coming days on a new date.'
City Hall is covered in graffiti. Late Tuesday, the City Council voted in favor of slashing the NYPD budget by more than $1 billion, meaning it is canceling the recruitment of 1,163 new officers, stripping $484million from the overtime budget and transfering $354million to other services
The famous pro-Trump Naked Cowboy who ordinarily entertains tourists in Times Square was once again thrown out of the area by protesters Thursday
He showed up in underwear and holding a guitar that was covered in Trump stickers
The Naked Cowboy was again met with anger from protesters - one day after he was turfed out the camp for the same behavior
Protesters at NYC's City Hall cover buildings in graffiti, barricade subways, leave piles of stinking trash and throw dirty clothes over railings as they celebrate $1billion being cut from the NYPD's budget (17 Pics)
![Protesters at NYC's City Hall cover buildings in graffiti, barricade subways, leave piles of stinking trash and throw dirty clothes over railings as they celebrate $1billion being cut from the NYPD's budget (17 Pics)]()
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July 03, 2020
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