Anti-Beyonce Protest Over Super Bowl Performance A No Show; Group Rallies In Support Of Singer Outside NFL Headquarters
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A group rallied in support of Beyonce's Super Bowl halftime performance outside NFL headquarters in Manhattan, but a planned demonstration against the singer never developed.
Members of the NYPD and NFL security were ready for the dueling protests, which were both set to begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
About three dozen pro-Beyonce demonstrators gathered on the sidewalk, but no one showed up for the anti-Beyonce protest, WCBS 880's Alex Silverman and 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
"I'm disappointed," protester Spencer Jones said. "I really wanted to talk to them and hear their side. I'm not sure why they're not here, I am kind of sad about that, but I still think coming out here was worth it."
"Coming out here today, we just wanted to be a counter voice to that voice. That voice not being here says a lot about where they stand," another woman said. "They're not here. When they show up, we show up. They haven't shown up."
The group Proud of the Blues was asking people offended by the performance to stand together at NFL headquarters wearing as much blue as possible to show their support for police, CBS2's Diane Macedo reported.
Meanwhile, Black Girl Rising organized a counter rally asking people to dress in black to show their support for Beyonce and the Black Panthers, Macedo reported.
Schuck reached out to the organizer of the anti-Beyonce protest, but there has been no response.
Beyonce caused a sensation during her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show when dancers wore leather and black berets, an apparent nod to the Black Panthers movement. One formation seemed to pay tribute to Malcolm X and another had dancers with fists in the air, reminiscent of the black power salutes of the 60s and 70s.
Critics say it never should have happened.
"I found the entire show objectionable, was extolling the Black Panthers, who were a terrorist organization killing police officers in the 60s and 70s," said Rep. Peter King, (R-Long Island).
And after Monday night's Grammy Awards, there may have another performance to talk about.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar performed his song, "The Blacker the Berry," chained to his dancers while his band played from jail cells. The performance also included a reference to Trayvon Martin, the African-American Florida teen fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer while on his way to visit his father.
While presenting the final award during the Grammys, Beyonce also appeared to speak to those critical of her performance. She said, "Art is the unapologetic celebration of culture through self-expression."
