Racist backlash

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An enraged driver with at least two blades strapped to his arm threatened to kill demonstrators during a protest against police violence and racial injustice in Whitestone Tuesday.

Multiple cell phone videos show a middle-aged white man brandishing a bladed weapon attached to his arm and screaming at demonstrators as he stalked them on the sidewalk, where posters condemning the police killing of George Floyd hung along a chain link fence.

Witness Arianna Agudo of Woodhaven said she happened to be driving along Clintonville Street, above the Cross Island Parkway, when the confrontation occurred. Agudo, 22, posted a video of the incident on Instagram and said the altercation escalated quickly after the driver and a group of young people argued about police violence and systemic racism.

“The kids [were] just calmly protesting by just placing signs and posters, all of the sudden the guy started insulting them and the kids just started talking back defending their beliefs,” Agudo said in an email.

The exchange infuriated the man, she said. He turned around and ditched his Mercury SUV on the overpass, blocking traffic so he could threaten the group of young people with the piece of Medieval weaponry attached to his arm. He walked toward one person wearing a white sweatshirt and accused the demonstrators of throwing something at his car.

“He literally made a crazy U-turn, parked in front of them and started chasing them with his 4 knife weapon,” she said. “After that, he got back into his car and GOT ON the sidewalk, stepped on the gas pedal and started chasing those kids with the intent of running them over. Then he just got away.

Another video captures the verbal altercation that continued after the man returned to his vehicle to confront the demonstrators.

“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you,” the man screamed at the group of young people. “You’re in the wrong neighborhood. You’re in the wrong neighborhood, b***h.”

The man drove onto the sidewalk to further intimidate protestors, Agudo said.

In an email, an NYPD spokesperson, Detective Denise Moroney, said police are investigating the incident.

“A 23-year-old male reported to police that an unidentified individual exited a vehicle with a sharp object and displayed it to a crowd that was peacefully protesting and fled in a vehicle described as a gray SUV mercury. There were no reported injuries as a result, no arrests at this time and the investigation is ongoing,” Moroney said.

A peaceful protest over the killing of George Floyd was disrupted by a group of mostly white Merrick residents Tuesday night. The residents were trying to have Nassau County police stop the protesters from marching down Merrick Road.

The protesters were initially stopped by police over safety issues, reports say. Residents were concerned about violence breaking out due to posts made on social media earlier in the day.

Nassau County police marched around the protesters to separate them from the residents, many of whom were yelling at the protesters to go home. Some residents can be heard yelling, "Go west," urging the protesters to head toward Freeport, which has a diverse population. Merrick is more than 90 percent white.

There were about 150 protesters in the march, according to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.

Nassau County police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said his officers surrounded the protesters while they marched down Merrick Road to help protect them from anti-protesters.

"We surrounded the protesters because we protect all of the protesters, no matter what side of the argument they're on," he said. "The First Amendment was exercised, and then everybody went home peacefully."

Ryder added that the Nassau County police officers have a "zero tolerance" policy for any acts of violence or criminal mischief at the protests.

The Merrick march was one of five that occurred around the county Tuesday. A protest in Long Beach drew about 2,000 demonstrators.

In other news, Captain America assists Wolverine in escape from a mental hospital.

Even better,loot the mental hospital and sell the Thorazine and Seroquel to other looters.

What the ....who has that kind of weapon?

The man caught on camera chasing down Black Lives Matter demonstrators with a Wolverine-type claw in Queens is now charged with attempted murder, authorities announced Thursday.

Frank Cavalluzzi, 54, was filmed chasing protesters in Whitestone on Tuesday while wearing a glove affixed with four long, serrated-edged blades — before getting into his SUV, driving onto the sidewalk and attempting to mow them down, prosecutors said.

“I will kill you,” he allegedly yelled at the protesters, according to prosecutors.

Cavalluzzi, whom police sources called a known troublemaker in the area, was arrested Thursday morning.

He was later arraigned on a laundry list of charges, including attempted murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first and second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, menacing in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

“In a burst of anger and rage, this defendant allegedly sought to kill protesters who were peacefully assembled and exercising their right to free speech,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
“No one at any time should infringe upon another’s Constitutionally-protected freedoms and doing so with the intent to injure and maim is criminal.”

Katz said it was “amazing” that no one had been injured in the melee.

Queens Criminal Court Judge Mary Berjarano set Cavalluzzi’s bail at $100,000. His next court appearance is set for July 2.

If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

His attorney didn’t return a call from The Post on Thursday night.

Protesters have come to Merrick for the third straight day to protest the deaths of George Floyd and other black people across the country.

The Black Lives Matter protesters first came to Merrick on Tuesday, where they were met with opposition by white residents who wanted their protest stopped. The residents were reportedly worried about looting and violence after false information was circulated on social media.

The protest is reportedly the largest one yet to come to Merrick. The location was chosen because of the response to the first protest, which many people called racist.

The Southern State parkway was reopened completely around 10:25 p.m. About 500 people had been on the parkway earlier in the night, according to State Police.

"The protest was peaceful with no injuries and no arrests," police said.

What the ....who has that kind of weapon?