Protester Lauded After Successfully Negotiating Post-Curfew Truce With Police

Randy Williams, a father-of-four and music producer from Brooklyn, was suddenly thrust into stardom when he successfully negotiated an end to a high-strung impasse between NYPD and protesters. A peaceful agreement was reached between the two parties in Park Slope, Friday night, after Williams and an NYPD captain, who is yet to be identified as of press time.

A Savvy Negotiator

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn to demand justice for the death of George Floyd and other persons who also allegedly died in incidents involving police officers, such as Breonna Taylor. They were also, reportedly, protesting against the implementation of a citywide curfew in New York City, which took effect Tuesday, June 2, and will be in place until 5 a.m. Monday, June 8. The curfew requires everyone to be indoors or out of public spaces by 8 p.m., and anyone who is caught violating will be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor.

With the curfew in place, protesters faced arrests, and many feared that some of them might resist, which could result in violent confrontations. Before things got out of hand, 38-year-old Williams decided to negotiate with the police for the protesters to be allowed to continue past the 8 p.m. curfew at least for some time. He was able to talk to an NYPD captain, where he outlined his proposal about a peaceful assembly and got the unnamed officer to agree to let them continue.

Coming Into An Agreement

Williams was very happy with the agreement he struck with the NYPD captain and how the police officer was able to keep his men in check. They both agreed that the protesters would not turn to violence if the police also remain non-violent. In an interview with The Post, Williams said that after a very long time, the community and the police came together.

The music producer revealed he told the captain that they would like to continue a little after 8 p.m. He also expressed hope that the previous night’s incident where police used batons to control protesters in the South Bronx after failing to disperse at 8 would not be repeated. “I don’t want any of my people, meaning the protesters and people from this community, getting hurt the same way,” Williams told The Post. He added that he did not also want any of the officers getting injured or hurt.

The demonstrators peacefully dispersed around 9:40 p.m. as promised. Williams and several protesters were even seen sharing parting fist bumps with some of the NYPD officers. “I showed that we can trust them. Not all of them are bad,” Williams said.