Brian Mahoney
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Demonstrations over the death of George Floyd continued in New York City on Saturday, with thousands taking to the streets and parks to protest police brutality as police pulled back on enforcing an 8 p.m. curfew that has led to confrontations over the past several days.
More than two hours after the curfew had passed, groups of several hundred demonstrators continued to march in Manhattan and Brooklyn, while police monitored them but took a hands-off approach.
At protests in Manhattan earlier Saturday, volunteers handed out snacks, first aid kits and plenty of water bottles on a muggy afternoon. One person carried a sign listing nearby open buildings for those seeking to escape the heat — which some soon did when a rain storm arrived.
Thousands of people crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into lower Manhattan, where other groups numbering in the hundreds to thousands marched or gathered in places like Foley Square, home to state and federal court buildings, and Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.
Further uptown, police had erected barriers to all but close off Times Square to vehicle and foot traffic.
As the curfew passed, a large group of protesters walked onto the FDR Drive, the main north-south artery along Manhattan’s east side, closely monitored by police, forcing police to temporarily shut down one side of the roadway.
Local politicians and civil liberties advocates have called for an end to the 8 p.m. curfew, complaining that it causes needless friction when officers try to enforce it.
But Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted the curfew will remain in place throughout the weekend.
There were about 40 arrests citywide Friday — far fewer than previous nights — and no obvious signs of the smash-and-grab stealing that marred protests earlier in the week.
Also on Saturday, police announced charges against a man who allegedly stabbed a police officer in the neck in Brooklyn on Wednesday night.
Dzenan Camovic, 20, has been hospitalized in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. The Brooklyn resident faces multiple charges, including attempted murder of a police officer.