Thousands of environmentalist and Occupy Wall Street activists gathered in Battery Park early Monday morning In the wake of the Climate change march on Sunday, September 21st, preparing to engage in a civil disobedience action on Wall Street.
Around 11:00, the activists marched to Broadway where they took to the street, with the intention of marching to Wall Street, which was blocked off by the police. They eventually staged a sit in surrounding the Bull, many outside of the barricades, which are frequently referred to as the “freedom cage” . Eventually traffic was cleared and the protesters took up several blocks on Broadway.
In an unusual move, the NYPD did not intervene for several hours until just before closing bell when an attempt was made to march down Wall Street. The marchers were stopped at the barrier where the police used their pepper spray, hitting some protesters, other police officers and the many journalists who were filming them (See the remarkable videos of this conflict at the end of this article). Eventually, flexible handcuffs were used to tie the barriers together to keep protesters from getting past the barriers.
Several police officers lined up outside of the barricades that were around the protesters, One on the corner of Wall Street, one each North & South of the protesters on Broadway. Officers on horseback were stationed on Wall Street. A group of officers in riot gear appeared on the North side, holding their batons, some of them slapping them against their palms. At one point, an LRAD was reportedly spotted. Many people began to leave, including some of the organizers. Large crowds of tourists and observers behind the police stood watching. No Police action was taken.
Around 6:00, an announcement was made by the NYPD to clear the streets and those taking part in the civil disobedience action were arrested.
While many applauded the behavior of the NYPD, others pointed out that the protesters were not allowed to reach Wall Street which was their intended target.
Mayor De Blasio, newly in office and considered by some to be the “Occupy Mayor” due to his visits to Occupy Wall Street, was very proud of the way that the NYPD handled the protest.. “I think the First Amendment is a little more important than traffic”, he said.
According to some of those arrested, the largely respectful treatment by the NYPD was only present while the cameras were running. Reports from the arrested were mixed. Some arestees report that they were treated unusually well, one protester reported that they were handed apples as they arrived. Others claimed that they were subjected to excessive and disturbing questioning. Kim Fraczek of The Sane Energy Project reported that she and others were asked probing questions about who they were employed by and who they lived with. They were asked what their plans were for the next day. Other even more oddly personal questions were asked. Their social security numbers, contact information for the people they lived with, the color of their eyes, even “What color are these boots”. Kim was told that she would be taken to 100 Center street for processing if she did not cooperate. According to the ACLU, You are not required to provide any information to the police beyond your name .
https://twitter.com/aintacrow/status/514511543346950144
Not only was the behavior of the NYPD confusing to many, but there was an awareness, particularly among people of color and many Occupy Wall Street protesters that such respectful and restrained behavior is highly unusual. It is not reflected in other arrests that take place in the city where behavior like dancing on the subways, largely performed by young men of color, has been criminalized. Observers suggested that the behavior of the police department while the cameras were on them was a PR stunt and that had the crowd not been largely white, the behavior may have been very different. LRAD’s, while freely used in Ferguson are not likely to be utilized on Broadway across the street from Trinity church where there are large numbers of tourists. If indeed an LRAD was spotted, this should be cause for concern. While normal in criminal investigations, the intrusive questioning is, to many, also a major cause for concern.
John Zengas
Kyle Depew
