De Blasio, NYPD ask NYC TV stations to keep copters clear of demonstrations to avoid 'heightening tensions'
No immediate reports of arrests or injuries from demonstrations in Manhattan, Brooklyn
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced late Tuesday that he had requested that local TV outlets "pull back low-flying helicopters" to avoid "inadvertently heightening tensions" as demonstrations broke out across the city following the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd.
"I have asked local news stations to pull back low-flying helicopters out of respect to New Yorkers demonstrating tonight," the Democratic mayor tweeted. "While the news absolutely has the right to broadcast tonight’s gatherings, there is a way to cover the events without inadvertently heightening tensions."
Earlier, the NYPD's official Twitter account emphasized that "Helicopters over the protest at the Barclays Center [in Brooklyn] are not NYPD, but that of TV stations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We have asked media outlets to keep back and expect their compliance," they added.
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Large demonstrations took place in Manhattan and Brooklyn following the announcement that Chauvin had been convicted of murder and manslaughter charges in Floyd's death. There were no immediate reports of arrests, injuries or damage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The scenes in New York were replicated across the country following one of the most-watched criminal trials in recent American history.