Fires, Looting, Unrest: Scenes from a Day of George Floyd Protests on the Lower East Side
@twobridgestower
On May 25, Minneapolis resident George Floyd was suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. Police arrested the 46-year-old black man, with one white officer pinning his knee into the suspect’s neck for eight minutes. Floyd was pronounced dead shortly after being taken into custody.
This deadly response has plunged the country into unrest, sparking protests in several major cities.
(The cop, Derek Chauvin, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.)
For local protestors, months of quarantine plus warm weather yesterday created a perfect storm. Below are eyewitness accounts of what went down on the Lower East Side. Including garbage fires along 14th Street and fruit stand fires in Chinatown; stores looted on the Bowery and in SoHo; and the blockage of traffic on the northbound FDR at South Street.
“Second Avenue, Astor Place, Broadway is a mess of fire and broken glass,” blogger Jeremiah Moss wrote on Facebook. “I watched protesters smash the windows of Wells Fargo and light trash cans on fire. Helicopters overhead. Rats on the sidewalk. It’s another world out there.”
Smaller businesses were also hit, including B&H, Le Fournil, Cooper’s Craft & Kicthen & Kona Coffee. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/ZxBLag7zfs
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) May 31, 2020
Fires on 14th st pic.twitter.com/ISFf3yHyhB
— ジェームズ (@filmismygf) May 31, 2020
Protesters head up the FDR.. pic.twitter.com/71xbctcVje
— twobridgestower (@twobridgestower) May 31, 2020
Large group of (mostly very young) protestors stop traffic to cross Delancey in the lower east side New York. Cars honk and clap in support. #newyork #NewYorkprotest #blacklivesmatter #GeorgeFloydProtests pic.twitter.com/8FHZ0AbImo
— Dominique G. (@Domgabguil) May 31, 2020
Quick morning walk, surveying the damage in the neighborhood #SoHo pic.twitter.com/yxojs8cZiN
— Monish (@moenichedee) May 31, 2020
Recent Stories
Avril Lavigne Marks 20th Album Anniversary on Canal Street
Avril Lavigne returned to SoHo this week to mark the twentieth anniversary of her pop-punk debut, Let Go. The “Sk8er Boi” artist took to TikTok in celebratory gush, posting a quick hit of her standing in the intersection of Broadway and Canal Street. An ode to the album cover, twenty years older and not blurry, […]
Long-Stalled Grand Street Lot Reactivates
Despite ongoing troubles with his East Broadway project, local owner-developer Daniel Wise is now proceeding with a new development planned for Grand Street. No longer an overgrown jungle of weeds, the zombie parcel spanning 330-332 Grand is, as of a couple weeks ago, fully reanimated. The Department of Buildings issued permits for foundation work last […]
From the Rooftops: The Hell Square Aural Assault
Articles about ear-shattering noise levels, from parties to cruising cars, as well as the general lack of regard for the residents of Hell Square, are rote at this point. Almost a cliche. But to residents living in the bullseye, the aural assault remains a weekly nightmare. And this past Saturday night, by several accounts, upped […]
Pitt Pool Opens for Summer Season
New York City public pools officially opened yesterday. For the Lower East Side, that means the Pitt Pool (aka Hamilton Fish) is ready to go. The launch happened with great fanfare. Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, Senator Brian Kavanagh, Council Member Carlina Rivera, and local kids […]
At Belse, the New Vegan Brewery on the Bowery
Belse, the Texas-based vegan brewery and restaurant, is now in business on the Bowery. The Lone Star State transplant – officially, Belse Plant Cuisine – takes 11,000 square-feet at 265-267 Bowery, in what was previously the fleeting home of the Paulaner Brauhaus brewery. The renovated space features three sections – a restaurant, bar, and Garden […]
