Black Lives Matter Protesters Demand ICE Abolishment
Black Lives Matter activists gathered on Times Squares on Saturday, September 19 to demand Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s abolition over the recent discovery of unconsented gynecological procedures on detained immigrants held in Georgia.
On September 16, Dawn Wooten, a nurse at the immigration center filed a whistle-blower complaint that detained immigrants in an ICE-facility underwent heavy gynecological surgeries. Rapidly, influent people expressed their indignation, “If true, the appalling conditions described in the whistleblower complaint – including allegations of mass hysterectomies being performed on vulnerable immigrant women – are a staggering abuse of human rights,” said Nancy Pelosi in a public statement.
And so after months of active protests demanding justice for the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the BLM movement brought its support to these women, turning it into a broader humanitarian movement.
Despite demonstrators’ outrage and frustration, the march began peacefully at around 2pm ET in front of Times Square’s famous red steps, where the group accused the New York Police Department of protecting the wrong people.
Slowly protesters came together and formed a larger, more compact group of around 300 people according to a protester’s report to CNN. Before taking over the roadway, they remained for a few minutes on the central place of the pedestrian area, forming a human chain and holding signs.
As the event unfolded, tensions between law enforcement and demonstrators became more apparent. In order to prevent overflows, a dozen police agents as well as an NYPD vehicle arrived in support of the officers already present on the scene. As a response, protesters’ chants strengthened and the mass walked towards the roadway.
When asked why it was important for him to participate in the event D said, “Anyone who has a bit of humanitarian left in them should be here today.”
Once on the main avenue, a large part of the demonstrators decided to sit on the ground and consequently began to block traffic. Police officers tried preventing the crowd to engulf the street and, in turn, quickly created a chain with their bikes so that protesters on the floor were surrounded.
After a few minutes seating on the concrete, encircled by armed officers, demonstrators were asked to evacuate the road. Many time the NYPD played the following message with a megaphone, “This is the NYPD, you’re unlawfully on the roadway and instructing the vehicularly traffic. You are ordered to leave the roadway and use the available sidewalk, if you do so voluntarily, no charges will be placed against you. If you remain on the roadway you’ll be placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct.”
No one moved.
Therefore officers came as reinforcements and began to arrest demonstrators. The crowd was dispersed, and by refusal to cooperate many protestors were pushed to the ground, handcuffed and handled by more than just one agent.
The arrests went on for about half an hour and in total 86 people were apprehended.
Two weeks after this event, the center accused of performing the hysterectomies still claims that its records show only two women have been referred for the procedure in the past three years. Accused Dr. Mahendra Amin also continues to deny any allegation against him.
By Lylia Saurel