New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) blasted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s police department during his Tuesday press conference, saying they “did not do their job last night.”
The governor condemned the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) response to the protests over George Floyd’s death on the first night the city was under curfew on Monday, calling what happened “inexcusable.”
“The NYPD and the Mayor did not do their job last night,” he said, adding that, “It was a disgrace.”
“I believe the mayor underestimates the scope of the problem,” Cuomo continued. “I think he underestimates the duration of the problem. And I don’t think they’ve used enough police to address the situation because it’s inarguable … that it was not addressed last night.”
Cuomo and de Blasio jointly announced a curfew for the city from 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday, but looting and violence continued past curfew.
De Blasio announced on Tuesday the curfew would be moved up to 8 p.m. and would last the rest of the week until June 7.
During his Tuesday press conference, the governor said he has offered to bring in the National Guard to assist the city, but de Blasio said “he can handle it with the NYPD.”
“My option is to displace the mayor of New York City and bring in the National Guard as the governor in a state of emergency and basically take over — you would have to take over the mayor’s job,” he said.
“I don’t think we’re at that point,” he continued, adding, “That would be such a chaotic situation in the midst of an already chaotic situation.”
De Blasio’s spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein responded to Cuomo’s remarks in a statement, calling them “offensive to the men and women of the NYPD, who are out there every night trying to keep New Yorkers safe.”
“It would be nice if our officers knew they had the respect of their Governor,” she said.
The NYPD did not immediately return a request for comment.
The NYPD came under scrutiny from some congressional lawmakers after a viral video showed two police cruisers lurching through a crowd of protesters.
De Blasio called for an investigation after another video showed a New York officer pushing a female demonstrator to the ground.
Protests have erupted across the country after Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, died following his detainment by police in Minneapolis. Bystander video taken at Floyd’s arrest showed former officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe and became unresponsive.
Chauvin was fired from the department and later charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers involved in the arrest have been fired but not charged.
Updated at 5:54 p.m.