As demonstrators protesting for justice for George Floyd again gathered across the nation on Tuesday night, thousands of peaceful demonstrators in New York City were blocked by police officers on the Manhattan Bridge, as reported by NBC News. Protesters were headed from Brooklyn to Manhattan, and officers on the lower Manhattan side stopped them from entering, according to WCBS. A city-wide curfew began at 8 PM ET. Police officers were also waiting on the Brooklyn side, including some seen with zip-ties, as reported by CNN. Demonstrators eventually peacefully exited on the Brooklyn side, but videos and photos from the incident show much fear and confusion in the meantime.
Videos and photos from the bridge went viral on social media last night.
New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez caught word of it and tweeted as well.
Ultimately, protesters began to exit the bridge on the Brooklyn side around 11 PM ET. According to The New York Times, protesters were stuck on the bridge for about two hours total. It’s still unclear if anyone on the bridge was arrested, though more than 200 people were arrested in New York City last night overall. According to Gothamist, protesters were able to exit the bridge without violent incidents with police officers.
Here’s a video from The Telegraph: