Highest ranking member of NYPD takes a knee with protesters

NEW YORK (NBC/CNN) – On Monday night, the highest-ranking member of the NYPD kneeled in solidarity with protesters.

It all happened in Washington Square Park, New York City’s top uniformed member of the force, Chief of Department Terrence Monahan, stepped into a crowd of protesters after items were thrown at police and at the encouragement of protesters who urged the crowd to stop, he delivered a message.

The commissioner said “there’s not a police officer over here who thinks Minnesota was justified. we stand with you on that.”

Monahan then took a knee with protesters and keyed in on an important point that the violence is thought in many cases to have been instigated by outside agitators.

“It means the people that live in New York want New York to end the violence. Get the intruders that are not from this city the hell out of here and give us back our city. Cause that’s a, that’s the first moment that we get this together. Us and everything that these cops have given their bloods for and the communities that we serve and they all love, can go back together and get those groups out of here from California, from all over this country who are being paid to take this movement, which is a good movement, and turned it into violence against the men and women who love the communities. Get them out of here. Throw them out of your protest. Protest peacefully. Why would anyone break into a store in your neighborhood? Places that employ the people in this neighborhood, no reason for it and has to end. Let New York show the country how this is done. [inaudible] We’ve had five days of war here that needs to end. It has to end today. Tonight when that sun goes down, peaceful protesters go home. Leave it out to those who want to cause damage and we’ll get rid of them. We’ll get rid of those that are ruining your neighborhoods.”

Terence Monahan: New York Chief of Department

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