Anti-Vax Protesters Block Traffic At De Blasio's Park Slope Home

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Anti-vaccine protesters with drums and bullhorns spent two hours disrupting traffic outside Mayor Bill de Blasio's Park Slope townhouse Tuesday, despite acknowledging the mayor wasn't home, according to reports and video.

The small group of protesters — chanting "We will not comply" and "End the mandate" — gathered on the street and sidewalk outside the 11th Street townhouse starting around 5 p.m., a livestream of the demonstration shows.

"We are all aware that de Blasio is not here tonight, but videos will circulate, people will get the message," one protester, standing on a dumpster, said through a bullhorn.

The protest comes the day after the mayor announced a vaccine mandate for private sector workers in New York City and the addition of children ages 5 to 11 to the city's indoor vaccine mandate.

It quickly drew several NYPD officers to the block, some of whom argued with protesters who refused to move to the sidewalk or let cars pass through the street, the video shows. The protesters were also confronted by at least one neighbor who yelled from his window, video shows.

"Block the street!" a protester yelled at one point.

A few cars eventually got through with the help of police, video shows.

When asked about the protest, an NYPD spokesperson said they found no arrests on file stemming from the incident.

The mayor has pointed to the omicron variant's rise, the delta variant's continued spread and upcoming holidays as reasons for requiring private workers to get the shot.

But given the shock many business leaders felt by the measure, it's likely the city will face lawsuits before the mandate takes effect Dec. 27. Legal challenges likely will fall to mayor-elect Eric Adams, who takes office at the start of the New Year.

De Blasio has expressed confidence the city is on firm legal ground, pointing to failed legal challenges to his previous vaccine mandates.

This article originally appeared on the Park Slope Patch