Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Several city agencies have recently participated in weekly sweeps of an unhoused encampment under the sidewalk bridge on the NE corner of Ninth Street and First Avenue.
Last night, nearly a dozen community groups and mutual-aid network members planned a protest outside the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street to speak out against the ongoing sweeps ...
In anticipation of this protest (there were flyers announcing it on social media), the NYPD had placed barricades on the entrances to the block between First Avenue and Second Avenue... and only residents (with ID) or delivery people were allowed through ...
At some point, police escorted activists Johnny Grima and Derrick DeMaria out of the barricaded area.
It's not immediately clear what happened next. Grima ended up on the sidewalk on Second Avenue and Fifth Street with an apparent injury from a fall. (Grima claimed he was pushed while officers at the scene said he fell.)
It took nearly 30 minutes for EMTs to arrive ... while Grima remained on the ground...
A uniformed officer accompanied Grima to the hospital, where he was evaluated for injuries.
In the spring of 2022, the city conducted multiple sweeps on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C (coverage here and here and here) ... and along Seventh Street and Tompkins Square Park in November 2021.
In the past 18 months, activists have spoken out against the citywide encampment sweeps ... while asking for safe housing for New Yorkers living on the streets.
Mayor Adams has defended the actions, saying "he was working to preserve the 'dignity' of homeless New Yorkers."
After a late September sweep on Ninth Street and First Avenue, police officials reportedly said it "was a result of numerous community grievances from locals and business owners who complained that the sidewalk was blocked."
