Some Long Islanders have responded with intolerance to the dozens of peaceful anti-police brutality protests that have swept Nassau and Suffolk counties in the past week.

Merrick residents infamously tried to block Black Lives Matter demonstrators from marching through their mostly white community this week and told them to “go west” toward more diverse neighboring Freeport. The owner of Huntington-based restaurant Tutto Pazzo apologized after calling marchers “savages” and saying he was going to throw watermelons at the protesters. The CEO of Dominican Village, a nonprofit assisted living facility in Amityville, was put on leave after commenting on a Facebook photo of a rally that someone should “run the dirt down.” Someone tried to run over protesters in West Babylon while yelling “white lives matter!” And an ex-Nassau County police employee was caught on video using a racial slur and spitting at a black man on Merrick Avenue in Merrick.

“The Nassau County Police Department has been made aware of a video circulating on social media which captured an unfortunate incident in which a former employee was disrespectful and antagonistic using a racial slur towards a protester,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Friday in a joint statement. “This person has not been employed by the police department in two years. In no way does his behavior reflect the commitment that the Nassau County Police Department has to protect and serve all people.”

Thousands of people have been marching locally in support of nationwide protests sparked by a shocking video of a white Minneapolis police officer allegedly killing an unarmed black man by placing a knee on his neck and ignoring the victim’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Four cops were fired and charged in the death of George Floyd.

Despite many Long Islanders falling for false social media claims that the protests were going to turn into riots as they had elsewhere, such as New York City, which is under a week-long curfew to curb looting, the biggest disruption on LI to date has been marchers blocking traffic and kneeling in roadways in non-violent civil disobedience. 

The reaction is unsurprising, given LI’s long history of segregation. Hempstead residents won a federal lawsuit after a judge ruled Garden City’s zoning unfairly discriminated against minorities, well-heeled Dix Hills sits atop mostly black Wyandanch — which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has dubbed “one of the most economically distressed communities on Long Island” — and a report released in 2014 by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA branded LI “one of the most segregated and fragmented suburban rings in the country.”

With more protests expected through the weekend and people already on edge due to the coronavirus pandemic, tensions are sure to remain high in the days ahead.

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Anti-police brutality protesters again blocked traffic on local roadways Thursday as the latest in a week of demonstrations across Long Island ended peacefully with neither arrests nor injuries.

The biggest of several rallies Thursday came when a crowd estimated at more than 6,000 marched in Merrick in a show of force meant to rebuke a group of homeowners that had tried to block a smaller march earlier this week.

“No justice no peace!” the Black Lives Matters picketers chanted as the march stepped off from the Long Island Rail Road station in Merrick.

The march was the latest in dozens of recent rallies in Nassau and Suffolk counties in support of nationwide protests sparked by a shocking video of a white Minneapolis police officer allegedly killing an unarmed black man by placing a knee on his neck and ignoring the victim’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Four cops were fired and charged in the death of George Floyd.

The latest Merrick protest marched from the LIRR station southbound on Merrick Avenue, westbound on Merrick Road into Bellmore, northbound on Bedford Avenue, and westbound on Sunrise Highway back to the Merrick LIRR station.

Video of the march showed Nassau County police formed a line at the corner of Merrick Road and Newbridge Road on the west side of Bellmore. But the protesters were ultimately allowed to pass and demonstrate through downtown Bellmore.

Later, about 500 marchers blocked the Southern State Parkway for about two hours.

“The Southern State Parkway was closed from the Meadowbrook State Parkway to the Wantagh State Parkway in both directions during the protest,” New York State Police said. 

Nassau County police, Suffolk County police, and state police all report there were neither injuries nor arrests during the latest peaceful protests, despite yet another string of false internet rumors that agitators would use the demonstrations as a chance to riot and loot, as has happened elsewhere, triggering a week of curfews and clashes in New York City. Authorities have reminded Long Islanders not to be so easily duped by such baseless claims on social media.

Roadways that previous protests on LI have taken over include William Floyd Parkway and Sunrise Highway in Shirley, New York Avenue in Huntington, and Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton, among others.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said the only incident was a small fire reported in a vehicle parked at the Merrick LIRR station late Thursday, but she said it was unclear if it was related to the protests and police are continuing the investigation into the cause of the fire. Police said the vehicle belonged to a protester.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the most dramatic thing he saw besides the march itself was a brief moment of tension.

“I walked every inch of that with every one of those protesters,” he said. “We had one woman down on Merrick Avenue who decided to challenge the tail end of the group. She got surrounded by a group of protesters at that point. I actually stepped in between. And then several protesters stepped between me and them and said, ‘no, we’re not gonna do that. We’re not doing that here’ and they pushed them back out. Antagonized by the woman that was behind them. Not by the protesters.”

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Rumors that agitators at anti-police brutality protests on Long Island were throwing bricks into traffic and secretly placing bricks along march routes to start looting stores this week are untrue, Nassau and Suffolk county police said.

Unconfirmed reports that bricks were being thrown from bridges onto cars below Tuesday in Suffolk were later discredited. And Nassau police said that internet rumors of little yellow crosses on local road signs being part of a coordinated effort also amounted to little more than baseless fear mongering.

“We’ve received reports re: yellow crosses being painted on different objects throughout Nassau County,” Nassau police tweeted. “The message on social media is that they’re being used to I.D. locations where protesters should leave bricks and other items to commit acts of criminal mischief during protests. Current investigations have found that the yellow crosses and the words ‘Jesus Christ Is God’ have been observed for over a month and have NOTHING to do with the current protests.”

Thousands of people have been rallying in Nassau and Suffolk counties in support of nationwide protests sparked by a shocking video of a white Minneapolis police officer allegedly killing an unarmed black man by placing a knee on his neck and ignoring the victim’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Four cops were fired and charged with murder in the death of George Floyd.

In Suffolk, the rumors went a step further and falsely claimed that bricks had actually been thrown. 

“The Suffolk County Police Department is aware of posts circulating on social media reporting quantities of bricks and similar materials being left in various locations to be used by individuals to commit criminal acts,” the department said. “The SCPD has not received credible information about bricks being placed in Suffolk County for criminal acts.”

While protests sweeping the nation have in some places been hijacked by violent agitators that start riots and looting, like those that sparked a week of clashes and curfews in New York City, a week of rallies on LI have remained peaceful. The biggest local disruption to date has been demonstrators temporarily blocking traffic.

Officials suggested people think before they share false information on social media.

“What I’m concerned about…is outside influencers,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. “People on social media changing flyers, putting frightening things up that turn out not to be true. People who don’t live in Nassau County, people who don’t care about Nassau County, but are perfectly happy to sprinkle bits of chaos here and there and then sit back and watch and see what happens. Don’t let them play you. Be skeptical. Just because it’s on social media does not mean that it’s true.”

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder agreed.

“People are stirring it up,” he said. “‘There’s bricks everywhere in Nassau County and ever town was looted,’ if you paid attention to all these social media. None of it happened.”

Ryder noted that social media rumors that bricks were left along Merrick Road in Merrick to incite riots were actually left there from a recent construction project. He noted shopkeepers had started hiding the bricks so the bricks wouldn’t be used as projectiles.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also expressed concern about how easily social media users are duped into believing misinformation that fuels chaos.

“It is right now incredibly easy for somebody to create chaos on social media on the internet from their basement with a computer and a keyboard,” he said, noting that police are investigating social media posts falsely claiming looting occurred in Suffolk. “We cannot go on like this where it is so easy to create havoc, to create chaos … by just posting things on social media that are not true.”

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Tensions were high during anti-police brutality protests Tuesday across Long Island amid fears that the demonstrations would turn riotous as they have in cities nationwide, but local rallies remained peaceful, authorities say.

A face-off occurred when residents gathered on Merrick Road in Merrick to block a group of protesters from marching down Route 27A on Tuesday, prompting Nassau County police officers to broker negotiations between the more than 100 Black Lives Matter picketers and residents refusing to let demonstrators through.

“Go west!” residents are heard yelling at the protesters gathered outside of the Wendy’s restaurant on Merrick Road, suggesting that the marchers should head to the neighboring more diverse Village of Freeport instead of through Merrick, which is mostly white. “Get them the hell out of here!”

Community members here in Merrick and surrounding towns adamantly opposed to Nassau police trying to figure out a way to allow protesters to walk up Merrick Road. As of now, police are blocking the protestors. @News12LI pic.twitter.com/F9Qu1g8NSH

— Shari Einhorn (@ShariEinhorn12) June 2, 2020

Thousands of people have been rallying in Nassau and Suffolk counties in support of nationwide protests sparked by a shocking video of a white Minneapolis police officer allegedly killing an unarmed black man by placing a knee on his neck and ignoring the victim’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Four cops were fired and one was charged with murder in the death of George Floyd.

“As someone who lives in Merrick, it’s disgusting to see people in our supposed family community be actively against an anti-racism protest,” Clare Hunter of Merrick told the Merrick Herald-Life.

Nassau police had issued a statement Tuesday that they were monitoring online rumors that agitators were planning to hijack the peaceful protests to incite riots and looting. A Nassau County police spokeswoman said that the Merrick standoff was resolved and the protesters were allowed to march without incident.

“Cooler heads prevailed,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said.

Among the social media posts fueling fears of protests potentially turning into rioting in Merrick were images of bricks left along Merrick Road. Some residents suspected the bricks were left by agitators who were going to thrown them into store windows. A Nassau police spokesman said authorities investigated the placement of the bricks and found no criminality. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the bricks were left there from recent construction work.

“A lot of them turned out to be fake,” Curran said of the social media posts that threatened riots and looting on LI. “Many are meant to agitate people, to make people afraid when people are already anxious because of the pandemic.”

Ryder agreed social media users need to do their due diligence on posts to avoid feeding the hysteria. 

“People are stirring it up,” he said. “‘There’s bricks everywhere in Nassau County and ever town was looted,’ if you paid attention to all these social media. None of it happened.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also expressed concern about how easily social media users are duped into believing misinformation that fuels chaos.

“It is right now incredibly easy for somebody to create chaos on social media on the internet from their basement with a computer and a keyboard,” he said, noting that police are investigating social media posts falsely claiming looting occurred in Suffolk. “We cannot go on like this where it is so easy to create havoc, to create chaos … by just posting things on social media that are not true.”

Police reported there were no arrests Tuesday during protests in Merrick, Freeport, Valley Stream, or Long Beach, which was the largest of all with more than 2,000 marchers. Suffolk County police also said there were no arrests during demonstrations Tuesday in Shirley, Smithtown, or elsewhere, although marchers did block traffic on William Floyd Parkway for the second day in a row, as well as Sunrise Highway and the Long Island Expressway. Stringer News reported Sunrise was closed for 45 minutes due to protests at one point.

Commissioner Ryder also said outside agitators are suspected of trying to exploit the peaceful protests.

“People have to pay attention here because your kids are out there,” Ryder said. “They’re going into these protests, they’re peaceful. Then you got an anarchist group coming behind, an Antifa kid coming behind, and white supremacist kid coming behind. They’re pushing your kid forward into those acts, and then they’re doing the acts and your kid gets pulled in.”

Another protest is expected in Merrick on Saturday.

Related Story: Police Brutality Protests Across Long Island Spark Riot Fears

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Anti-police brutality protesters have been peacefully picketing and marching on Long Island, but authorities are closely monitoring the rallies to ensure rioters don’t hijack the demonstrations and start looting.

The thousands of people rallying in Nassau and Suffolk counties are local supporters of nationwide protests sparked by a shocking video of a white Minneapolis police officer allegedly killing an unarmed black man by placing a knee on his neck and ignoring the victim’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe. 

“Although demonstrations on Long Island have remained peaceful, we continue to see concerning rumors circulate online threatening violence or looting in Nassau County,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Tuesday in a joint statement. “We take these threats very seriously. We want to assure residents that Nassau County PD is taking every precaution necessary to keep residents safe — including those peacefully demonstrating tonight.”

Suffolk County police also urged calm.

“I, like other members of law enforcement and people throughout the county, am horrified by the unnecessary and tragic death of George Floyd caused by officers from the Minneapolis Police Department,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring the unrest in Minneapolis and across the country. We urge anyone who wants to express their feelings to do so peacefully.”

Floyd’s death — which resulted in four Minneapolis officers being fired and one being charged with murder — triggered days of protests in cities nationwide. While many of the protests were peaceful, others turned violent, including the days of rioting and looting in New York City. The NYPD’s anti-terrorism chief has said that outside agitators are suspected of turning peaceful protests into nightly riots.

The Nassau Inter-County Express/NICE Bus announced that it was temporarily suspending portions of routes that connect with Queens for several hours a day beginning Tuesday evening and continuing through Sunday due to an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. city curfew in effect this week.

Protests have been ongoing from Manhasset to the Hamptons. Several Target stores on LI reportedly closed over the weekend following rumors that they were being targeted for looting. Stores at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City boarded up their windows. The Village of Freeport called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to send in the National Guard to assist with monitoring a protest following internet rumors that Black Lives Matters protesters were going to start looting. And Village of Hempstead officials are planning a news conference Wednesday to discuss anti-looting measures.

“Local ministers will join together with merchants and community leaders to say a prayer for peace for local and national healing ahead of a large protest planned for later this week in Hempstead,” the village said.

“Approximately 500 local residents attended a peaceful demonstration in the Village of Freeport,” Freeport Mayor Mayor Robert T. Kennedy said. “With the cooperation of state, county, and local law enforcement all in attendance, we were proud to see no violence, no arrests, and no unrest, as residents voices were heard loud and clear. I was proud to address the crowd and speak with leaders on racial injustice, and will always do our part in the village to progress racial equality and justice for all.” 

Long Beach City Police said they are also monitoring marches on the barrier island.

“These are not city-supported or sanctioned, but we are proactively monitoring current events and are committed to ensuring the public safety and welfare of all the city’s residents,” the department said in a statement. “Long Beach is a diverse and tightly-knit community. We are confident in our resident’s ability to peacefully assemble and express their views.”

Among the most high-profile rallies on LI, marchers walking northbound on William Floyd Parkway in Shirley blocked traffic Monday night, causing delays. But the march ended without incident.

“In contrast to what we have seen in communities across the country and in New York City, the protests, the demonstrations that occurred here yesterday and in the days before that have been peaceful,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Tuesday. “You have not seen the kind of violence or property damage, looting, that we have seen in other places around our country. And that is a credit to the people who have come out to express their anger and frustration and their pain.”

The rallies come as the region is still working to emerge from the coronavirus shutdown prompted by the global pandemic. Experts who were worried that recent protests calling for reopening the economy — including one in which President Donald Trump tweeted support for protesters who called a News12 Long Island reporter “fake news” — may cause a spike in new cases have renewed their concerns of a COVID-19 spike following the latest protests.

It’s not the first time the nation saw nationwide riots amid a deadly health crisis. During the 1918 flu pandemic that killed 5 percent of the world population, civil unrest in America enduring included the May Day riots, the Red Summer race riots, and the Boston Police Strike, which sparked nationwide fears of similar lawlessness. 

Like then, the Floyd protests also continue regardless of the virus. At a march in Mineola over the weekend, picketers chanted “take a knee,” calling for police officers to join them in their protest. Commissioner Ryder joined them and knelt in solidarity. 

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