Bronx protest turns chaotic after 8 p.m. curfew, several arrested
A protest against police brutality in the Hub turned into chaos once curfew hit Thursday night.
Protesters gathered on 139th Street and Third Avenue and made their way to 136th Street and Brook Avenue.
News 12 cameras were rolling as multiple altercations between police and demonstrators turned aggressive. Videos show people getting struck by batons.
People took to social media to describe what it was like, with someone saying police officers started to block off streets 15 minutes before curfew, and once the clock struck 8 p.m. authorities started to make arrests.
Vilma Madera described to News 12 watching multiple people being beaten by batons and then taken away in stretchers.
"They we're marching peacefully and then by the side walk all the cops on bikes were riding down and they rushed them and that's when they started hitting them," says Madera.
News 12 is told Chief Terence Monahan was also on scene as multiple protesters were arrested one after the other.
One video shows people standing and sitting on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs with zip ties, waiting to be taken inside the Department of Correction buses.
The protest seemed to be organized by a grassroots organization called Take Back The Bronx. A community group focused on defending their neighborhood.
Assembly member Michael Blake also attended the protest and says he came back when he got word groups of people were getting arrested.
"An 8 p.m. curfew is wrong because this is what happens. You've got a war zone in the South Bronx right now because people just want to speak their mind?” says Blake.
Overall, citywide police made more than 200 arrests.