3 Arrested At Long Island George Floyd Protest

EAST MEADOW, NY – Three people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges during a George Floyd protest in East Meadow Friday night, authorities said.

A video posted on social media shows a man walking down a street surrounded by Nassau County police officers. When one of the officers stops abruptly in front of him, the protester bumps into the officer. Several other officers then pull the man to the ground and place him under arrest.

"For the demonstrators safety, police repeatedly made attempts to keep protesters off moving lanes of traffic," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said in a joint statement Saturday morning. "This safety precaution was met with strong opposition and resistance which resulted in the arrests of these subjects."

Marches against police brutality have taken place throughout the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Four former Minneapolis police officers were charged, including Derek Chauvin, who faces a second-degree murder charge after a bystander's video showed him kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes.

Most of the protests on Long Island have been peaceful and police have shut down numerous roads to allow protesters to march.

Nearly a dozen protesters were arrested and two police officers were injured last weekend during demonstrations in Merrick. Officers stopped protesters from marching on the Meadowbrook Parkway, leading to clashes.

"Our police officers take an oath to protect and serve and they have done that admirably," Curran and Ryder said Saturday. "We have and continue to protect the public which includes protesters, during marches, on major roadways and during their interaction with counter protesters.

"We continue to support the rights of individuals who exercise their freedom of speech according to the First Amendment; however, these demonstrations must remain safe and orderly."