NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Protesters were out on New York City streets on Thursday, yet again demanding all votes be counted two days after the election.
The “Choose Freedom” protest began in Greenwich Village, near the Stonewall Inn during the evening hours.
The demonstration came after protests turned destructive and violent on Wednesday. At least 50 people were arrested in Manhattan after the NYPD said some agitators “attempted to hijack a peaceful protest” by setting fires.
Marchers came out again in large numbers on Thursday to ensure every vote cast in the presidential election is counted as it remains far too close to call in some states.
Christian Resseguie, with the group Refuse Fascism, says people have know President Donald Trump was going to alleged voter fraud for months, which is why they need to march.
"That Trump is going to attempt to steal the election by throwing shade on mail-ballots. By trying to voter suppress, defunding the U.S. Postal Service, encouraging his supporters to intimidate people at the polls. Shutting down polls, 12-hour lines primarily in Black and Brown areas, primarily in Democratic leaning areas," Resseguie said.
While protests remained fairly peaceful for the duration of the evening, there were reports of some arrests by users on Twitter.
The NYPD, which was seen out in force on Thursday, said they would be patrolling alongside protesters.
“We have to make sure that those protests that do occur, the people that are protesting are safe, as well as the community at large. So when you think about property damage, or injuries to anyone, these are the primary concerns,” said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea. “We think we can accomplish all of this.”
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NYPD officials do not expect Thursday’s protest to take a similar turn, but they will be on high alert.
NYPD Counterterrorism Chief John Miller told New Yorkers that they will not tolerate dangerous actions towards police officers. He said the people arrested Wednesday had been arrested before.
Miller notes that officers will be looking for behavior that many people may not consider necessarily “violent” as well.
“The use of lasers to blind police and to blind helicopter pilots – whether they're news helicopter or police helicopters. That means monitoring, and in some cases, interrupting police communications,” he explains.
In a tweet, Commissioner Shea said the department will protect all protesters, but will not tolerate destruction.
“The NYPD remains committed to protecting everyone's right to protest & free speech, as thousands of protesters do every day without incident,” he wrote. “What we cannot allow is the behavior of the very small minority who damage property, cause fires, & put NYers at risk.”
No police were injured and there was no significant damage to businesses on Wednesday. Many stores are still boarded up in anticipation of post-election protests.