NEW YORK - After a peaceful day of celebrations and protests honoring the 50th anniversary of New York City’s first Pride March, parade-goers were met by police in Washington Square Park where a heated exchange with NYPD officers led to dozens of people being pepper sprayed and a graffitied police car, according to multiple reports.

Those involved in the incident were not affiliated with the official New York City Pride March, which went virtual this year, but instead with the Queer Liberation March — a rival to the Pride March, which started last year.

People in the area said they were asked to move onto the sidewalk so they wouldn't get hit by vehicles. One woman said she saw people taken into custody.

"I guess there hadn't been someone arrested or they already let them go and at that point the protesters pushed the cops out and were like, ‘Get out of here, we don't need you,’” the woman told NY1.  “And then I saw a lot of people running towards the edge and you can see that it was an escalated situation … You can see there were multiple people pepper sprayed who were running backwards to get help and there was first aid being supplied by civilians."

Police have not commented on the matter as of this writing.

Before all this took place, the day kicked off with Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray joining a small, socially distanced crowd for the first event. Together, they appeared live on a virtual broadcast dedicated to the 50th anniversary of New York City’s Pride March.

Afterwards, a five-car caravan and its grand marshals made their way from Madison Park to the iconic Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ liberation movement in the city.
 

Unlike in years past, the procession was mainly a symbolic gesture put in place by the organizers of the march.

The Queer Liberation March, which centered their message around Black lives and police brutality, gathered in Foley Square and began marching around 1 P.M., demanding city leaders defund the NYPD and relocate that money to communities color in need of help.

Those who attended that event were adamant about continuing to show their support for their community, despite the pandemic.

“Don’t tell us to stay inside, we didn’t have to stay inside all the other times,” said Nadia Nizam. “What’s the difference? This is love. We are supposed to fix all of this with love.”

New York had its first Pride March on June 28, 1970 — a year after the Stonewall Uprising.
 

“It’s been too long for white silence,” said another protester, who wanted to convey the importance of standing in support of both the LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements. “We need to be out motivating people. This is the time to speak out for what’s right.”

“There is no Pride without black voices and when we talk about all black lives,” said Mohammed Amin.

This year, traditional pride celebrations were canceled because of the pandemic, but many said it was important for them to take to the streets and make their voices heard regardless.

“We are getting back to the most important part of Pride, which was to look after all in the community,” said Elias Holtz.

“I think this is one of the only times in history that we get to see everybody come together on one united front,” said Dee Browne.

The marches were broadcasted online, so that those who could not be here could still feel the pride.