Brooklyn Open Thread: Protests Saturate Brooklyn, Phased Reopening Begins (6/8/20)

We’re in the 13th week of sheltering in place and the 53rd day of home schooling for New York City schools.

Thousands marched peacefully all over the city all weekend, with protests scheduled on the hour throughout Brooklyn. De Blasio capped the weekend by ending curfew a day early and announcing he would cut funding to the NYPD. The city started its long-awaited phased reopening today, beginning with construction and curbside pickup for stores.

Protests large and small took place all over the borough Saturday and Sunday, including in Brownsville, Bed Stuy, Park Slope, and Williamsburg. Sunday kicked off with a meditation in Herbert Von King Park in Bed Stuy at 10 a.m. In the afternoon, motorists waved and honked in support of a small group of demonstrators outside Our Lady of Presentation and Loreto Roman Catholic Church on St. Marks Avenue and Eastern Parkway in Brownsville.

Children and parents convened a “family friendly” rally in Park Slope and marched up Prospect Park West to Grand Army Plaza, where an elementary school-age boy led the crowd in a chant. A father with a baby strapped to his chest carried a sign that said “Babies Against Police Brutality.”

A few minutes later, another large march — one of more than three at that location on Sunday — set off from Grand Army Plaza, possibly headed to Barclays. At a van at the plaza marked “People’s Bodega,” people handed out free water and snacks to passerby. Envoys even weaved between cars to hand out bottles of water to drivers stranded in traffic on the streets converging around the plaza.

Many more protests are scheduled to take place today across the city, including in Queens and the Bronx. Brooklyn’s packed lineup includes three protests at Grand Army Plaza, a march leaving from Brooklyn Borough Hall at 2:30 p.m. and the daily vigil in Williamsburg at McCarren at 7 p.m. Check out Bushwick Daily and Justice for George on Instagram for a more complete list daily.

What are you doing, thinking and seeing at this time? Please feel free to comment in a respectful manner (please, no personal attacks, nothing libelous). If you are not already logged in, go up to the top right hand side of the page and log in to be able to comment.

[Photos by Cate Corcoran]