Now, the protests are coming from inside the house.
Hundreds of current and former de Blasio administration staffers took to the streets outside of City Hall to speak out against the mayor.
“Our city is grieving, our city is angry, our city demands accountability,” said one city worker.
Cat Almonte, a former mayoral aide who used to travel with him around the city, helped organize the march for the group, which calls itself "City Workers 4 Justice."
“When I started working at City Hall, I felt grateful to work for an administration that shared my values," Almonte said. "The people standing behind me in this crowd lived up to that expectation. What is often just a talking point for the mayor is grueling work for us.”
Standing outside City Hall, they chastised their boss for his handling of police protests over the last week, his record on police reform and what they say is disappointment over an administration that was supposed to bring sweeping progressive changes and help close the inequality gap.
“We’ve seen it, New Yorkers have taken to the streets demanding action, the mayor has been slow to respond, so now it’s our responsibility as public servants to keep our boss accountable, to hold his feet to the fire,” Almonte said.
Across the bridge from City Hall, as protesters made their way to Cadman Plaza, the mayor made his way to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where he marked the beginning of the city’s phase one reopening.
“Day 100 of the coronavirus crisis, and it is the day that we start to liberate ourselves from this disease, the day we move forward,” de Blasio said during his daily briefing.
But the mayor’s handling of protests of the last few days, his response to NYPD discipline and a simmering battle with the City Council over how to cut the police budget still cast a shadow over what could have been a celebratory day.
Asked about the staff protest, de Blasio was dismissive of who had turned out.
“There's a very big difference between former staff and current staff,” de Blasio said. "I still believe fundamentally after six-and-a-half years of making steady change in the city, people should have faith about what we can do in the next year and a half in a transformative moment in our history.”
After days of pressure, de Blasio has said he’s resolved to redirect funds from the NYPD for youth programs in the city, but he has not committed to a figure.
The mayor highlighted a massive drop in arrests since he took office while keeping crime down, he acknowledged more needed to be done — including the passing of a state measure to disclose police officers’ disciplinary records expected to pass this week. Meanwhile, budget talks continue. A final deal is due at the end of the month.