Some Protesters Feeling Optimistic, Celebrating Wins As Demonstrations Continue For 14th Consecutive Day
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For two weeks, protesters in New York City have been taking to the streets every day, marching for police reform.
Demonstrations have felt optimistic this week. They've been achieving small victories both in the city and state.
One protester said it feels like their collective voice is finally being heard and that is motivation enough to keep coming out each day.
Thousands filled Fifth Avenue on Wednesday, peacefully marching through Manhattan on the 14th day of protests in New York City.
"We show everyone who's watching that we are doing the right thing," one speaker told the crowd.
"I think we should keep the pressure going," protester Ikechi Nwamkwo told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
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On Wednesday, the state Legislature voted to create an office of special investigation in order to ensure independent investigations into deaths that occur in law enforcement custody.
This comes on the heels of their vote to repeal 50-A, which has been a top priority at protests. The decades-old law kept police officers' personnel records confidential.
"I feel like we are making progress, but like I said, it took too long. It shouldn't have took this long. It shouldn't have had to come to this point where a lot, a lot of black men and black women are getting killed, and it shouldn't... It just took too long. But I'm happy that something's happening," protester Arielle Francis told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
Francis has been coming to the protests since the start and says she wants officer to better communicate with the communities they serve.
"I would like for the police to actually learn how to speak to the people. They don't know how to properly speak to New Yorkers. They don't properly know how to speak to inner-city youth," she said.
Watch Natalie Duddridge's report --
One protester told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge she's celebrating their victories, including the state Senate passing the Eric Garner anti-chokehold act, prohibiting chokeholds by law enforcement and making that a felony.
Demonstrators also say it was a step in the right direction that Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed to shift money from the NYPD to community programs, but they want more details since the amount is still unspecified.
Calls to defund the police are becoming the focus of these demonstrations.
The demand is not to get rid of law enforcement, rather divert some funding from the NYPD and redefine their role.
"I would like to see them reduce the amount of cops in our neighborhoods and reinvest that money into community programs," protester Cecilia Davis said.
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The mayor announced Wednesday the city will add $10 million to its crisis management budget to expand the "Cure Violence Initiative," which places outreach workers in communities to curb gun violence.
"With that expansion, the Cure Violence Movement will now be active in 20 precincts, all 20 precincts with the highest gun violence levels in the city. That means lives will be saved, period. Lives will be saved, violence will be reduced," de Blasio said.
Protesters also say it's reassuring that officers are being held accountable for their response at some of the protests, such as the officer who is charged with assault for pushing a protester to the ground.
They're steps in the direction of progress for protesters, but they say the fight is far from over.
"A lot of people might look at it as a black and white issue, but at the end of the day, I think what Martin Luther King said is true, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' And so it may happen in Minneapolis to a black guy. Tomorrow, if we let it slide, tomorrow it might happen to a little girl, whether it be black or white, somewhere else," one protester told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge.
"The main thing really is accountability, transparency with the police department but also fairness and equity with the way people are treated across the board," Nwamko said.
On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he intends to sign the police reform legislation into law by the end of this week.
