City Hall staffers rebel against mayor over protest response

Mayor Bill de Blasio is facing an angry uprising from his staff over his handling of the George Floyd protests — making him the target of a separate rally planned for Monday.

“As current & former @nycgov employees, we are outraged by the escalation, violent misconduct & civil rights violations by the NYPD, and the Mayor’s failure to protect our communities,” the New York City Workers for Justice group said in announcing the protest.

The group said it was “heartbroken and outraged” by “injustices” by heavy-handed police during the demonstrations, as well as “the Mayor’s failure to hold them accountable.”

The group said it would demand “real change” with the protest at 9:30 a.m. Monday at City Hall Park.

Hundreds of current and former staff also signed an open letter last week demanding action from their boss.

“We have joined together in writing this letter because we could not remain silent while the Administration we served allows the NYPD to turn our City into an occupied territory,” the letter stated.

“Our former boss might not hear the cries for justice from Black and brown New Yorkers, but we do.”

Much of the anger was sparked by Hizzoner’s defense of police even amid widespread complaints of alleged brutality — claims he doubled down on again Sunday.

He sent a “thank you to the tens and thousands of members of the NYPD who protected that right to peaceful protest,” praising their “noble cause” and insisting the “vast majority … do the right thing every day.”

“You did not see the NYPD using tear gas. You did not see the NYPD using rubber bullets,” he insisted at a press briefing of the methods used against protests in other states.

Instead, he once again sympathized with officers’ precarious situation in dealing with “anarchists” hellbent on violence.

Staffers said they felt betrayed at the mayor’s denials of events they witnessed first-hand at protests.

“I feel as if I’m being gaslighted by my own boss,” one current employee told The City of how they “personally experienced brutality” that their boss then publicly denied ever happened.

The Mayor announced some changes Sunday, however, that addressed some of the group’s gripes — including an end to the curfew.

He also announced plans to shift some of the NYPD’s funding to youth services — one of the demands made by rebel workers — albeit without much detail.

“Let’s talk numbers,” the Workers for Justice group replied to his announcement.

“We welcome the change of tone, but we need the details and we will not budge on our demands,” they wrote.

“This is not a victory, this is the beginning of the next phase of the struggle.”

They insisted, “We need justice and accountability. Don’t settle for less.”

City Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.