Three of our photographers, Aaron Asis, Ryan Lahiff and Joseph Anastasio, were out in the streets of New York City to document the weekend’s demonstrations and the aftermath in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. On May 25th, three police officers pinned Floyd to the ground and one, Derek Chauvin, held his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd calls out that he cannot breathe. Protests and gatherings in solidarity with Floyd have been taking place in New York City and cities around the country, with some localities witnessing violent clashes between demonstrators and the police. While we are not able to capture every aspect of the weekend, these photography sets capture the viewpoint of three people and hopefully, reflect in some ways, the voices of thousands. Much more excellent documentation can be seen from other local and national publications, and from regular citizens on Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Untapped New York photographer Aaron Asis was in Brooklyn, documenting the scenes near Barclays Center and Downtown Brooklyn. He writes, “There is great power in numbers. The power to be heard, the power to be seen, the power to make change…and we, as New Yorkers, we know how all about power. We know how to stand up. We know how to make noise, we know how to make a scene — but we also know how to come together to demonstrate our collective desire for change. For the past several days and nights, New Yorkers have been gathering to honor the life of George Floyd and protest against the mistreatment of black Americans throughout our country. These demonstrations have been passionate, emotional, noisy, and necessary – and if the history of protest has taught us anything, we’ve learned that change is often painful, but our ability to peacefully gather, in large numbers does have the power to inspire change.”
The photo above and below until specified are from Friday, May 29th 2020. Photo by Aaron Asis.
Photo by Aaron Asis.
Photo by Aaron Asis.
Photo by Aaron Asis.
Photo by Aaron Asis.
Photo by Aaron Asis.
The photo above and below are from Sunday, May 31, 2020. Photo by Aaron Asis.
Sunday, May 31, 2020. Photo by Aaron Asis.
Sunday, May 31, 2020. Photo by Aaron Asis.
Sunday, May 31, 2020. Photo by Aaron Asis.
Sunday, May 31, 2020. Photo by Aaron Asis.
Sunday, May 31, 2020. Photo by Aaron Asis.
Photographer and Untapped New York writer Joseph Anastasio was photographing last night between Bowery and Union Square, between 10 PM and 2 AM. He writes on his social media accounts, “What happens in the coming weeks and months will define the world we live in for an entire generation. Protesting is cathartic, but we need to elect people who are committed to changing this city, state and country for the better.”
NYPD commander putting out a trash fire on Union Square west, just as FDNY rolls up. It sounded like he was on the phone with his wife. “What am I doing right now? I’m putting out a fire!” May 30, 2020. Photo and caption by Joseph Anastasio.
We walked past this van 15 minutes before. It was tagged and smashed up at the time. Good example of the pace of the evening: one block would be calm one minute and chaos the next. Photo and caption by Joseph Anastasio.
Photo by Joseph Anastasio
Photo by Joseph Anastasio
Tactically, FDNY was on point. For the two fires I saw them putting out, the engine crew did their thing and and ladder crews stood guard like these guys. Photo by Joseph Anastasio
FDNY getting to work on a police van fire. 15th street. By 2AM, the remains of this van were already hauled away. Photo and caption by Joseph Anastasio.
Looted Adidas store on Houston. This was only one of less than a half dozen stores I saw looted. It seemed the hardest hit. Photo and caption by Joseph Anastasio.
Untapped New York photographer Ryan Lahiff hit the streets of Soho just after dawn this morning, June 1st, 2020. He tells us, “I’ve never seen New York City look like what I saw. I was pretty shocked by how many people were driving through just to look, the cops were pretty helpless to do anything about it, by the time I arrived just after dawn the damage had all been done and they were left to basically mind the destroyed stores to stop any passersby from helping themselves to any left over merchandise.”
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Photo by Ryan Lahiff
Next, check out 10 riots in NYC’s history and the pavilion in Union Square that was once dedicated for mass gatherings.