Invitations posted on the internet say the demonstration on Dec. 19, is to show support for members of the New York Police Department. The owner of a Facebook page promoting the event said the event is not about race. There are some questions about the legitimacy of the rally.
New York Police Department graduates attend their induction ceremony at Madison Square Garden last year.
Carlo Allegri / Reuters
NEW YORK — A rally in support of the New York Police Department is planned for next week, after demonstrations protesting police killings of unarmed black men paralyzed the city for several days.
A flyer circulating on social media with the hashtag #ThankYouNYPD asked people to assemble next Friday, Dec. 19, in front of City Hall from 5 p.m. to midnight.
As of Thursday at noon, a Facebook page promoting the demonstration had garnered more than 14,000 likes, but the event page for the rally only had 137 confirmed guests.
Speaking with BuzzFeed News over Facebook chat, the creator of the page — who declined to give his or her name — said that he or she had not organized the demonstration, but had created the page to support the event. The person, who said he or she lives in New York City, said that he or she does not work for the NYPD, but has family members who do.
"It was a collaborative effort amongst citizens who appreciate the job these men and women do," the person wrote of the rally.
The rally's promotional materials on Facebook and Twitter used hashtags that appeared to be a direct response to the slogans used by protesters demonstrating against the police killings of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Akai Gurley — four black unarmed black men who died at the hands of police officers in recent months. Among those hashtags were #BlueLivesMatter and #TheyCan'tShutUsDown.
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