Hundreds of people gathered near the Podil District Police Department in Kyiv on May 21 to protest the recent surge in violent police actions and raids on businesses in the area.
Known as Kyiv’s most creative district, Podil is home to underground electronic music clubs, bars and art hubs, many of which have complained about the police’s unauthorized searches and abuse of power.
Arranged by 15 businesses and organizations, including one of the country’s top clubs, Closer, the protest was called “Let’s stop the police safari in Podil!” People demanded that Podil district police chief Pavlo Vasylenko be dismissed and held accountable. They also called for the prosecution of the officers involved in the raids and violent detentions of pedestrians on Podil’s streets.
Andy Yankovskyi, the co-founder of the HVLV bar, which reported experiencing police disruptions “almost on a daily basis” during the pandemic, opened the protest with a speech in the name of the community that “lives, works and just hangs out in this area.”
“We will not be able to change the whole system at once, because this system has been built for years, even decades, on the principles of bribery, violence and, to put it mildly, abuse of office,” Yankovskyi said. “What we can do is we can act locally, influence the policy of our district as a local community, and change a lot step by step.”
After several speeches, the organizers started a DJ set. Attendees danced just outside the district police station’s walls, the way they usually do in nearby industrial buildings, clubs and warehouses.
Read more: Podil’s creative community takes aim at police brutality
