Curfew Eased After Violent Clashes In Washington Square Park

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A Washington Square Park curfew went unenforced Sunday night, hours after scenes of chaos at the landmark Greenwich Village space as police and protesters clashed.

Just before 10 p.m. Saturday, officers in riot gear began forcing people still in the park, some of who stayed to protest the new controversial curfew, out of the green space and into the surrounding streets with bikes and batons as a broadcast to disperse blared over a loudspeaker.

The situation became tense, with videos on social media showing police chasing people out of the park and through nearby blocks, using pepper spray, and, in at least one unverified video, deploying a taser.

Army of cops chasing protesters (and random citizens) through the streets. I was told that I would be arrested if I continued to follow the police line. I am an identified protest monitor pic.twitter.com/iSClkUr18j
— Isabelle Leyva (@isabelle_leyva) June 6, 2021

• Washington Square Park Gets A Weekend Curfew Amid Safety Concerns

Crowds that had gathered in Washington Square Park appeared to throw bottles back at the officers on a night that saw temperatures sit in the high eighties.

According to the NYPD, there were 23 total arrests Saturday night, with charges that ranged from resisting to unlawful assembly to menacing and harassment. A police spokesperson told Patch that there was a group of around 100 people at 10:20 p.m. still within the park that were given "multiple opportunities to comply with lawful orders regarding park closures and to disperse and exit the park."

The curfew was implemented in recent weeks by the NYPD and Parks Department amid safety concerns of local residents. The two city agencies, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio have said the curfew is indefinite, but that it is still a short time fix.

The NYPD has now moved into the village for no clear reason. pic.twitter.com/7m1aEYfJsU
— Read Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (@JoshuaPotash) June 6, 2021

"Cops are once again intentionally escalating tensions with protesters and brutalizing them alongside park-goers and unhoused people," the New York Civil Liberties Union tweeted. "Enforcing a park curfew doesn't call for riot gear, threats of tasers, and violence. This is dangerous overreach by the NYPD."

Pictures posted to social media also showed officers stationed around the park's entrances on Friday and Saturday with barricades and zip ties.

Washington Square Park was a very different scene Sunday night. Crowds of New Yorkers returned and cheered as police did not attempt to enforce the 10 p.m. curfew.

A dance party broke out to celebrate the regular midnight closing time for the Lower Manhattan park.

Washington square park is so dope right now. NYC is undefeated pic.twitter.com/2asWzUMChq
— Read Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (@JoshuaPotash) June 7, 2021

"We continue to work with PD to find the right balance of education and enforcement against illegal and after-hour activities that impact the park and neighborhood," a spokesperson from the Parks Department told Patch about the ongoing Washington Square Park curfew.

"Enforced closures are focused on addressing large after-hours gatherings, amplified sound, excessive trashing of the park and other conditions on weekends."

Read More: De Blasio Talks Washington Square Park Curfew: Goes Beyond Noise

Patch Editorial Intern Sarah Belle Lin contributed to this reporting.