Defund NYPD proponent Maya Wiley calls Washington Square curfew ‘waste’ of money

Mayoral wannabe and “Defund NYPD” proponent Maya Wiley said Monday that the clearing out of Washington Square Park to enforce a newly imposed curfew is an example of the city “wasting” money on police.

“We know we’re wasting dollars in the police department, as we saw in Washington Square Park,” Wiley said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “That isn’t safety. Tying people [up], pushing them with bikes, that’s not what keeps us safe.”

On Saturday, chaos erupted in the West Village icon as police clad in riot gear pushed out scores of park goers, to enforce the temporary weekend curfew following complaints of late-night drug use there, video shows. At least 22 people were arrested and five cops were injured during the mayhem.

Her comments come after Wiley last week released a campaign advertisement that claimed the NYPD doesn’t value black New Yorkers’ lives, which the city’s police unions blasted.

On Monday, Wiley — who wants to cut NYPD spending by $1 billion — said she wants to “shift money” spent on the NYPD to other city services.

“It’s about shifting services to what we know works,” she said, noting that she favors increasing investment in violence interruption programs.

“We’re going to invest in what actually keeps us safe.”

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