New York's top prosecutor began two days of public hearings Wednesday on all protests held statewide in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Douyna Zayer, 20, was among the hundreds who shared their story on the recent protests. Zayer, who grew up in East Islip, was seen in a video being shoved to the ground by an NYPD officer during a Brooklyn protest.

"Where the hell is the humanity in watching these officers assault a human for no reason?" asked Zayer. "This was physically, mentally, and emotionally overwhelming."

New York Attorney General Letitia James responded to Zayer's concerns, saying, "I'm sorry for your incident, but I just want you to know that the officers involved don't reflect the vast majority of the officers in the NYPD."

The virtual hearings, which will last through Thursday, are hosted by James and include former U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch on the panel.

Early in the hearing, the panel heard from Rep. Nydia Velasquez, who represents part of New York City. She said she's cosponsored legislation to end the use of tear gas on protesters, and that would also halt a program that allows the Department of Defense to give surplus supplies, like military vehicles, to police departments.

"When police are equipped like an occupying Army, they act like one and treat their local citizens like insurgency to be subdued, not like their neighbors," said Velasquez.

Retired Nassau Assisstant Police Commissioner Denis Monette says both of Velasquez's proposals to demilitarize police are problematic, especially the tear gas ban.

"What's the alternative, to have the cops nose to nose with protesters, if people are burning and setting cars on fire?" he asked.

The New York City PBA submitted written testimonials from injured police officers and input from disorder control experts.