This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
As the city begins to reopen after months of lockdown, a different kind of gathering has taken over the streets of New York City - protests against police brutality and racism. The protests, which have been ongoing for over a week, have brought thousands of people together, many of whom had been sheltering at home for months.
For those who have been protesting day after day, the experience is a welcome change from the isolation of lockdown. 'It feels truly warm,' said Simonez Dega, a 23-year-old waiter who has been protesting near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 'It felt like we were all bees in the hive. Now it's like, that's another bee, that's another person that is here for the same reason. It's a different energy.'
The protests have been largely peaceful, but have led to confrontations with police on recent nights as people have stayed out beyond an 8 p.m. curfew. More than 2,000 people have been arrested, and looters have taken advantage of the distracted police to hit Manhattan's boutiques and mom-and-pop stores in the Bronx.
Despite the concerns about the spread of COVID-19, many protesters have been undeterred. 'People were stuck inside and forced to look at this content until they got mad,' said Mr. Dega. 'Covid fuels these protests.'
Others see the protests as a way to reclaim control and find a sense of community after months of isolation. 'This is their way of getting the control back,' said Aileen Torres, a 42-year-old assistant teacher from Maspeth, Queens.
But not everyone is supportive of the protests. Zev Fischer, a 69-year-old electrician from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, fears the results of essentially ignoring the coronavirus. 'If we don't get a spike in the next two weeks, I don't know,' he said.
As the protests continue, the city remains on high alert, with a mandatory curfew in place and a growing concern about the spread of COVID-19. But for many protesters, the sense of community and purpose is worth the risk.
