Back-of-pack mayoral candidate Shaun Donovan arrested at George Floyd protest
Well, at least you can no longer say of lagging mayoral candidate Shaun Donovan, “He couldn’t even get arrested in this town.”
The former Obama HUD secretary — who has failed to spark much interest among potential voters in the crowded field gunning to replace term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio — was led into a van by cops Tuesday at a protest commemorating the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer, video and photos show.
Donovan, wearing a black Black Lives Matter T-shirt with white lettering, was hauled away from the Holland Tunnel with his hands in zip ties, along with other protesters who blocked traffic at Canal and West streets about 9:30 a.m., kneeling for 9 minutes and 29 seconds — the amount of time Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck a year ago Tuesday.
The former Bloomberg administration aide was joined at the demonstration by personal injury lawyer Sanford Rubenstein, the Rev. Kevin McCall and activist Hawk Newsome, photos show. Five were arrested and were issued summonses for obstructing traffic, police said.
Donovan — whose dad has largely bankrolled his back-of-the-pack bid — following his arrest held a press conference outside the city’s First Precinct, where he spoke out against racism and inequality in the Big Apple.
“You can still predict the life chances, even the life expectancy of a child in this city by the zip code they grow up in, and that must change,” he said.
“Every New Yorker needs to stand up to say we will not accept the destiny of our children being determined by the zip code they grew up in, by the color of their skin. Every New Yorker … needs to stand up and say enough is enough.”
This isn’t the first time a mayoral candidate has gotten arrested while running to lead City Hall. In 2013, then-Public Advocate Bill de Blasio was arrested while protesting the closure of Long Island College Hospital.
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy
