No Cops in Power rally held at New York City Hall

New York, N.Y. – Around two dozen organizers and community members gathered in front of New York City Hall, the office of Mayor Eric Adams, to host a No Cops in Power rally.

The protest was organized by the New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) – an affiliate of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – to call attention to and protest how Mayor Adams continues to funnel money into the bloated $6 billion NYPD budget and away from social programs. Adams, who used to be a police officer, took office in January 2022 and has quickly passed anti-people policies, from organized violent sweeps of the houseless population to being pro-Act 60. Act 60 provides tax exemptions to businesses and investors that relocate to and/or establish themselves in Puerto Rico.

The rally began with Jessica Schwartz, a member of NYCAP, leading people into chants that ranged from “One, two, three four – police crimes no more! Five, six, seven eight – Eric Adams wants a police state!” to a New York City favorite, “How do you spell racist?! N-Y-P-D!”

Schwartz gave background on why they were rallying on that day and introduced the first speaker, Collin Poirot, another member of NYCAP, who gave a background on the many crimes the NYPD has committed here in New York.

The organizations that spoke out were: Socialist Unity, Southern Solidarity, Justice for Domonique Alexander, and NY Boricua Resistance.

The action was closed out by Sharif Hall, a member of NYCAP. He began his rousing speech by elaborating on what it means to have true community control of the police and finished the speech by saying, “We know that we will never be free until we have the power, the power to take control over our communities!”

NYCAP will be hosting a Community Safety training on Saturday, October 15 to follow up on the rally and will continue to protest against Mayor Adams and the NYPD.

Source: FightBack! News