The 12 February Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstration in Midtown Manhattan called "F**k 12", which is slang for "f**k the police", ended with 11 protesters being detained. The NYPD has said two of its cars were vandalised by the BLM protesters and two officers received injuries.
Multiple BLM Protesters Arrested in Midtown NYC tonight following a "F**K 12" march. Member of the press also appear to have been arrested. 11 people were arrested and reports of two injured officers.
— @SCOOTERCASTER (FNTV) (@ScooterCasterNY) February 13, 2021
Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/Lxk8zZ24ji
In addition, the BLM demonstrators jumped New York Daily News photographer Sam Costanza after one of the protesters reportedly claimed they recognised him as a "cop", prompting between 10 and 15 people to attack the man. The protesters shoved and beat him, with the photographer saying later he was left with a broken nose. Police reportedly apprehended at least one attacker.
Demonstrators chant “this is what community looks like” at #BLM #Transliberation 🏳️⚧️ march happening now in downtown Manhattan #NYC #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/XHNQnhAJdw
— Melissa Kent (@KentUNCBC) February 12, 2021
A total of around 100 people reportedly attended the protest, which started with demonstrators burning flags near a NYPD kiosk in Times Square. Law enforcement stood nearby, but took no action. However, tensions between the men in blue and the BLM crowd started to grow following the reported arrest of one participant on Sixth Avenue, the NY Daily News reported citing police.
Law enforcement officers then proclaimed the event an "unlawful assembly" and started dispersing the crowd, grabbing and apprehending some of the protesters.
Massive nationwide BLM protests against police brutality originated in May 2020, but smaller events are still being held amid "Black History Month". The latter takes place every February and highlights the contributions as well as the trials and tribulations experienced by African Americans in the US. The original wave of protests was triggered by the death of African American George Floyd in police custody. The officers, who apprehended him over the reported use of a counterfeit bill in a shop, pressed him to the ground and held him down with a knee resulting in the man suffocating to death.
The protests, which rocked US cities throughout summer, were mostly peaceful. However, a number of demonstrations turned into violent riots and even deliberate seizure of government property and entire regions of a city. While some states deployed the National Guard to quell the unrest, others chose not to do so, prompting criticism from the then-Trump administration.
