Free Republic

Orthodox Jews used bolt cutters Monday to cut through gates that had been welded shut by New York City authorities earlier in the day to prevent children in Jewish neighborhoods from playing, ostensibly because of fears of coronavirus. Mayor Bill de Blasio has continued cracking down on religious observance, and on religious Jews in particular — while supporting large, crowded Black Lives Matter and transgender demonstrations in the city over the past several weeks. The community has been eager to use the parks again, but the city has removed children from them. As Breitbart News reported earlier Monday, the city...

New York City workers were seen welding shut the gates of a playground in Brooklyn on Monday, one day after a demonstration in the borough saw thousands of attendees. On Sunday, thousands gathered at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza for a Black Trans Lives Matter rally. Despite the protests, New York City remains under the “phase 1” stage of the state’s reopening plan, allowing retail businesses to operate curbside pickup while large gatherings are still technically banned. Local observers filmed city park workers welding the gates of Middleton Playground, which is frequented by members of the Hasidic Jewish community in Williamsburg....