NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2020) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press briefing on Wednesday that he had decided to disperse the so-called Occupy City Hall encampment in lower Manhattan because it became an area where homeless people would gather drawing health and safety concerns.
"The gathering there got smaller and smaller, was less and less about protests, more and more became an area where homeless folks were gathering," de Blasio said. "I said repeatedly, we do always respect the right to protest, but we have to think about health and safety first, and the health and safety issues were growing. So it was time to take action."
Earlier on Wednesday, law enforcement officers cleared the encampment in City Hall Park, nearly a month after protesters against police brutality started to gather and set up tents in the area.
The camp has attracted a large number of homeless people, raising health concerns, given that the city is still fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic.
De Blasio had repeatedly said his strong stance against any type of encampments in New York City.
Protests against police brutality and racism have erupted across the United States after the death of African American man George Floyd in police custody on May 25.
