Response to our community

 Police Violence and Arrests at WSP

The 2021 Queer Liberation March ended and dispersed at Washington Square Park.  Marchers who stayed joined the festivities that were happening in the park along with participants of The Stonewall Protests march, other groups, and unaffiliated revelers. The NYPD was stationed around the park and around 7:00 PM viciously attacked members of the queer community and made multiple arrests.

Even if the presence of more marshals would not have prevented the NYPD from attacking, Reclaim Pride Coalition takes responsibility for not having enough community marshals to protect people within the park, and will take this into any or all future events as a make-or-break concern.  We also commit to beginning the recruitment and training of marshals earlier in the process and to extend our marshaling plans to post-march gatherings, should we host another event.

After the arrests, information was provided to a small number of RPC members that jail support had been activated by an experienced collective, that the arrested members of the community had been released without bail, and that contact had been established with arrestees. Two days later, a member of the coalition learned this was not true and began outreach to the arrested community members. This makes it abundantly clear that RPC must have more avenues established to confirm the safety of anyone who is arrested at or after any action associated with the group. No event will go forward if we do not have those avenues in place.

RPC has since made contact with one of the community arrestees and their fellow organizer and offers to reimburse any and all funds spent on bail and transportation related to this arrest, as well as to discuss other ways to support individual arrestees.  If you or someone you know was arrested at Washington Square Park on Sunday June 27th and have not been in contact with RPC, please reach out to us at jail.support@reclaimpridenyc.org. 

Bail funds are factored into the budget that RPC has put together before each Queer Liberation March and are ready to be used if and when needed. Going forward, we will make sure that we better publicize the existence of these funds and how to access them.