Carrying heavy weapons to facilitate 1st Amendment rights? Only brutalists would approve.

"It's Thursday in New York City, where the heavily armed NYPD unit that responds to protests needs to be completely overhauled, according to a former official who helped create the group.

"I did not like the idea of ... having a unit that carried heavy weapons, but then was also responsible for facilitating First Amendment assemblies," said Anthony Raganella, a retired NYPD deputy inspector who said he was integral in the formation of the Strategic Response Group.

Raganella's criticism comes as Mayor Zohran Mamdani calls for dismantling the unit — which continues to deploy to protests, including an anti-ICE demonstration last month where police arrested more than 60 protesters.

For the full story of how this unit evolved from a counterterrorism force into a protest policing squad, listen to the latest episode of our NYC NOW podcast.