Police chief knelt with BLM protestors in June, beaten by them in July

The AP reported that "Police photos of the aftermath showed a lieutenant with a bloodied face, a detective holding a bandage to his head, and a bicycle officer helping a fellow officer dress a head wound. Monahan, who last month knelt in solidarity with protesters, sustained injuries to his hand, said to be bloodied but not seriously hurt."

Monahan had knelt with protestors in June, as protestors thanked him for his support.

At the time, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sang Monahan's praises, saying, "Terry Monahan defused a very tense situation in Washington Square Park. This is not just an average cop. He took a knee with the protesters out of respect. That’s an indelibly powerful statement."

Those marching with the Power to Prayer group are not in favour of police defunding, especially in light of the recent spate of violence in New York City.

Monahan was public in supporting protestors on CBS This Morning, stating: “What happened in Minnesota was an outrage, completely and totally. But 800,000 law enforcement officers around this country are paying the price for what that guy did in Minnesota.”

He told protestors: “Protest, yell, scream, let your rage out, but don’t take your rage out on the community, destroy the businesses that actually employ members of this community.”