While rally leaders and participants at the so-called "Million Youth March" that took place on Saturday, September 5th, on Lenox Avenue in Harlem, attempted to portray the NYPD as an out of control army, NYPD bosses were well aware that the rally leader, Khallid Abdul Muhammad was determined to make a big splash at the very last minute. Muhammad, who was orignally scheduled to speak at around 1500 hrs., changed his appearance time to 1555 hrs., FIVE MINUTES from the Court-Ordered ending time of the rally. This was planned well in advanced, and NYPD intelligence was able to find this out as early as Thursday, if not sooner.
A multi-agency meeting during the week discussed the findings, and the possibilities that Muhammad would continue his inflamed, anti-cop, speech for as long as an hour or more, thinking that it would antagonize the cops and cause a rush with the crowd. While some participants at the rally told the press that the rally was breaking up quietly, and that it was the cops that started the problem, a review of tapes and newspaper reports indicated that Muhammad's final words in his speech that the media portrayed as telling listeners to "leave peacefully" only after one of his aids whispered in his left ear that the police were at the rear of the stage ready to move.
Apparently, after receiving this information, Muhammad was ready to move, too!
Prosay has to commend Mayor Giuliani for not waffling on his support of the cops and bosses that were on the scene. He reminded everyone that, (a)Muhammad went to Federal Court seeking the Court Order for the rally, (b)that it would be irresponsible not to enforce the Court Order, and (c)that a previous administration (Dinkins) did not enforce a Court Order for a Korean grocer grocer in Brooklyn several years ago, and he lost his business (i.e. the grocer's rights were violated).
The additional intelligence of Muhammad's motives forced the showdown and the proper response.
