Protests have erupted in New York City after a federal immigration agent shot and wounded a man in the Bronx on Thursday afternoon. As masked agents reportedly posing as construction workers attempted to arrest 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, they opened fire on his car. Belgal was shot in the neck. His 5-year-old child, who was in the back seat, was physically unharmed. Belgal was taken to a local hospital, where hundreds, including our guests, Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier and New York City Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, gathered to demand his release.
“What we saw yesterday was a prime example of why [ICE] is a terror to our communities, why it should not exist,” says Avila Chevalier. She was among multiple people assaulted by officers with the NYPD unit that specializes in protest policing, known as the Strategic Response Group (SRG). Four others were arrested at Thursday evening’s protest. Avila Chevalier, who was knocked down to the ground by officers, says, “This is why we also must demand that we get rid of and disband the SRG, because this type of response should have never happened for folks who were just simply trying to protect their neighbor.”
“I personally witnessed the NYPD escalating aggressively towards our community, barricading the community in … I also witnessed NYPD helping the ICE vehicles whisk away our neighbors and come in and out of the hospital,” adds De La Rosa.
“We have become less safe with the presence of ICE, and we need to make sure that we are actually upholding the sanctuary policies of the city. There is no reason why NYPD should be collaborating this way,” says Avila Chevalier.
