Activists condemn police action
Protesters point to disparity in arrests after violent incident
A week after a violent clash between Trump supporters and counterprotesters at a park next to the Capitol in Albany, activists gathered near the site on Wednesday to call attention to how they say police handled the incident.
More than 30 people gathered along Washington Avenue in Albany facing the Capitol to shed light on the Jan. 6 clash that protesters say was instigated by supporters of outgoing President Donald J. Trump, who had gathered in East Capitol Park as part of a “Stop the Steal” protest over the results of the presidential election.
Alexis Figuereo, a Ballston Spa resident who is facing five misdemeanors stemming from the clash, said he and other Black Lives Matter activists came to Albany to push back against the pro-trump rally rhetoric.
“Trump fairly lost the election. When you lose you lose, that’s what democracy is,” he said. “So we came out here to counterprotest that.”
Last week’s violent clash left two self-identified Proud Boys, which the FBI has described as a right-wing extremist group, with stab wounds after a heated conversation turned physical between pro-trump protesters and counterprotesters. The stabbing suspect, Albany resident Alexander S. Contompasis, 37, was charged with two counts of felony assault, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of misdemeanor menacing.
Three other counterprotesters also are facing less severe charges, including Figuereo. One pro-trump protester also was charged with harassment, a violation, after he allegedly struck a female counterprotester with a flag pole.
The disparity over who was arrested and charged was key for protesters Wednesday, with rally organizer Jamaica Miles, co-founder of All of Us, pointing to actions by local and State Police as aligning themselves with white supremacists.
“We had to change our plans today because of the state troopers and the police who now have even more access to cause harm to Black and brown bodies,” Miles said. “They are not here for the safety and wellbeing of all people. It matters what you look like. It matters what your message is. It matters what your politics are.”