NYPD: 9 arrested in a protest and counter protest at City Hall, debating the rights of transgender women
NEW YORK -- A heated rally outside City Hall on Monday led to multiple arrests.
Police say more than 100 people were involved in a protest and counter protest, debating the rights of transgender women, CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported.
More than two dozen women set up at Broadway near Murray Street at around noon for the last stop of a nationwide rally called "Let Women Speak."
The NYPD set up barricades around the group, which said it is comprised of feminists but doesn't accept transgender women as women. Members are also known as "TERFs," which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
"I'm a rape survivor. I'm here to stand up for survivors and for the boundaries that we have the right to consent, the right to say no to men in our spaces and our sports on the basis of our bodies," Amy Sousa said.
A flier encouraged people to show up against the group and bring noisemakers.
"You are murdering trans children!" one person yelled.
"We were counter protesting a group of TERFs who are trying to persuade people that trans people are sexual abusers and that trans kids are being forcibly mutilated," said Atlas Lee-Reid of Brooklyn.
Police made nine arrests and are expected to bring charges of disorderly conduct. Witnesses said everyone arrested was a counter protester.
The chaos lasted a few hours and police from special units at one point seemed to outnumber the crowd.
"It seemed like the cops were just singling out people in the crowds and just choosing randomly," protester Cynthia Cote said. "We were there to say trans women were women as well, and we were just there practicing our First Amendment right, peacefully protesting."
"We had one person who was thrown around by the security. They were actually thrown in the air and then fell on the ground," Lee-Reid added.
Rozner was waiting to find out what the charges would come with the arrests. The rally lasted a few hours before the group that initially set up the protest left.