Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty
We can’t even protest without having to worry about losing our lives. During a protest against police brutality, a black Ford Taurus was recorded ramming into a crowd of protestors in Times Square Thursday night (Sept.3).
The disturbing video, which is continuing to make its rounds on social media after it was dropped last night, shows the vehicle purposely ramming into protesters near Times Square pedestrian plaza. The clip shows the driver accelerating smashing into cyclists who attempted to block the road. In the aftermath, a trail of bikes and injured protesters can be seen on the floor as the car sped east on 46th Street.
One of the victims of the ramming, Lora Gettelfinger, a 33-year-old protester, said she was hit on the leg and said, “I’m in shock. I’m just happy to be alive right now.”
Several eyewitnesses claimed the vehicle was an unmarked police car that was escorting pro-Trump supporters.
A spokesperson for the NYPD told The Gothamist that they “investigated and discovered it was not.” The driver of the vehicle has not been apprehended yet.
Qaaree McDaniel, 23, who was handling security during the protest, detailed the incident and claimed police at the scene acted “passive.”
“I saw people getting hit, so I’m trying to get out of the way. Luckily I made it out just in time, but the car hit my bike, and my bike hit both of my legs,” he said.
“Just seeing how cops reacted, how they were so passive about it, it goes to show you where they stand.”
Last night’s protest took place in response to the killing of Daniel Prude at the hands of law enforcement who suffocated to death after Rochester Police put a hood over his head and kneeled on his back.
This latest car-ramming incident is one of many that has happened during a protest against police brutality have become more common across the country. A researcher at the University of Chicago has discovered at least 50 attacks where protestors have been run over by cars while protesting has happened.
A coincidence? We think not.
—
Photo: Anadolu Agency / Getty
