BLM says de Blasio's COVID vaccine mandate in NYC targets Black people
BLM leaders warned of 'uprising' over the mandate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A leader of the Greater New York chapter of Black Lives Matter says Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is targeting Black people with his mandate requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter certain businesses in the city, and warned that continuation of the dictate could spark an "uprising" similar to last year's George Floyd protests.
The threat comes from chapter co-founder Chivona Newsome, who unleashed on city leaders during a demonstration earlier this week outside a restaurant that allegedly denied service to a group of Black would-be patrons.
"Seventy-two percent of Black people in this city from ages 18 to 44 are unvaccinated," Newsome shouted into a megaphone.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So what is going to stop the Gestapo, I mean the NYPD, from rounding up Black people, from snatching them off the train, snatching Black people off the bus?" she added.
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"We’re putting this city on notice. Your mandate will not be another racist social distance practice," Newsome went on to say. "Black people are not going to stand by, or you will see another uprising. And that is not a threat. That is a promise. Because it is our job to defend liberty, and that is what we are here to do."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mandate, announced by de Blasio in early August, requires that both workers and customers of certain categories of businesses like restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters provide proof that they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to enter.
But since the rule went into effect, there have been reports of disputes at several establishments, which have also been burdened with manning the front lines of its enforcement.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Such a dispute was the reason BLM Greater NY held a demonstration on Monday in front of Carmine's Italian Restaurant, where protesters demanded justice for the Black women who were purportedly denied entry.
During her speech, Newsome led activists in the chant, "Cancel Carmine's!"
Fox News' Lisa Bennatan contributed to this story.