Mayor 'Repulsed' By Subway Police Protesters

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday he was repulsed by New Yorkers who rallied in Grand Central Friday night to protest increased policing in city subways.

"I think a lot of people were repulsed, I certainly was one of them," de Blasio said Tuesday. "Spewing bile at police does not help any cause."

De Blasio commended the hundreds of police stationed at the midtown transit hub — caught on video carrying screaming protesters out by their arms and legs — for protecting the city's Democratic values.

"They protected the right to protest even when horrible and inappropriate things were being said to our officers," de Blasio said. "The NYPD treats everyone the same."

The mayor's assertion, that New Yorkers receive equal treatment in the hands of police, is not shared by the organizers of the Jan. 31 anti-policing protest, which called on New Yorkers to "f--- s--- up" in the subways.

Patch did not receive an immediate reply to request for comment, but a Decolonize organizer said Thursday the group acted in solidarity with New Yorkers of color he argued bear the brunt of increased subway policing.

"We want to send this clear message," the organizer said. "We're taking a stand against police."

Anger over reported subway arrests— including the arrests of teenagers and churros vendors— have spurred mass protests and an Attorney General's office investigation into racial bias among the NYPD.

Outrage boiled over after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this summer the hiring of 500 additional NYPD subway cops to combat fare evasion who were sworn in on Jan. 23.

The Decolonize This Place protesters — who vandalized OMNY stations, tied open subway emergency doors and hung banners in transit hubs — received a fair amount of criticism online when their video call-out went viral.

Among the commenters was President Donald Trump's son, Donald Jr., who quipped of the protester's mission to "f--- up" the MTA, "Too late. The New York's mayor has been doing that for years now."

The MTA falls under the purview of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

De Blasio argued Tuesday, at an unreleated press conference in Harlem, that Friday's protesters represented a very small percentage of city dwellers whose views did not reflect the majority of New Yorkers and chastised the group for their confrontational methods.

"They claimed to be representing a cause yet what they did would not help any cause," de Blasio said. "It was disrespectful."