Nearly three weeks after the start of protests against racist police violence, the NYPD is still blocking New Yorkers from accessing their public streets and sidewalks outside police stations.
Across the five boroughs, entire blocks that were cordoned off in the early days of the protests have remained obstructed, with no apparent plans to lift the blockades and no official explanation from the NYPD or Mayor Bill de Blasio.
On several residential streets — including Union Street outside the 76th Precinct station house, Dean Street near the 78th Precinct police station, and much of the area surrounding Harlem's 26th Precinct headquarters — officers stationed at metal barricades have demanded proof of residence from anyone hoping to pass through. Signs hung on the barriers inform passersby: "No entry, residents only."
In some cases, New Yorkers have been offered even less information about the sudden disappearance of their public space. A group of officers standing outside the 7th Precinct in Manhattan refused repeated inquiries about the metal barricades preventing passage along Broome Street. "What the hell is your problem?" replied one officer, who refused to share his name, when pressed about the issue.
Cops were similarly prickly at the nearby 5th Precinct, where the length of Elizabeth Street between Canal and Bayard has been converted to an NYPD parking lot.
While police allowed pedestrians to pass through the barricades, those hoping to access the street's storefronts had to squeeze between police cruisers. When we pointed out that a man with a cane was trying to peer into a pharmacy window partially blocked by an NYPD vehicle, an officer told us to "mind your business," before getting in his vehicle and driving off.
A man peers through a pharmacy window on Elizabeth Street, as dozens of NYPD vehicles block the sidewalk
According to Officer Kimlee Moy-Seidel, the decision to block the streets and park on the sidewalks was "because of all the riots." She declined to say whether NYPD leadership ordered the precincts fortified, or whether they made the decision on their own.
As Streetsblog reported on Monday, the practice is widespread across the department, with at least nine streets outside as many precincts still barricaded as of this week.
Frustrated safe streets advocates have noted that the practice may be illegal, since the NYPD is required to obtain DOT approval for suspending traffic rules longer than 48 hours. A spokesperson for the DOT would not immediately respond to Gothamist's inquiries about whether they gave NYPD permission to build police-only fortresses on public streets and sidewalks.
Neither the NYPD nor the Mayor's Office responded to repeated requests for comment.
Joe Cutrufo, a spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives, said he was "not surprised" by the NYPD's choice to unilaterally confiscate public streets. "This is the same police department that has painted over bike lanes to make room for officers to park, so to see them commandeering space is not surprising at all."
"We've known forever that the police have a sense of entitlement," he added. "They're not shy about taking space."
