The NYPD is defending itself after this arrest of a protester by plainclothes officers using an unmarked van went viral last night:
NYC is taking after Portland – a trans femme protestor was pulled into an unmarked van at the Abolition Park protest – this was at 2nd Ave and 25th Street pic.twitter.com/1PDhSYuK9h
— michelle lh࿊࿊q (@MichelleLhooq) July 28, 2020
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes called it a “kidnapping”:
this is…kidnapping https://t.co/iT7SDb5RWx
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 28, 2020
Others agreed with Hayes:
so this person was kidnapped, basically https://t.co/eRqqp7DbuN
— Maggie Serota (@maggieserota) July 29, 2020
“Literally”:
This is LITERALLY kidnapping.
Who are these people? What van is this? Are these officials? There is LITERALLY no way of telling.
This is secret police type of bullshit.
This should absolutely terrify you. https://t.co/87Il8aQN5Q— Jennifer Scheurle (@Gaohmee) July 29, 2020
City councilman Mark Levin wants answers “now”:
This video is not from Portland. THIS IS NEW YORK CITY. We need answers. Now. https://t.co/uRanR7FxOD
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) July 29, 2020
What a clown:
if only there were an elected group of men and women…call it a council maybe…that met periodically to discuss police procedures that have been used, oh, I dunno, for decades? https://t.co/ihdobjzjuP
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) July 29, 2020
The NYPD later issued a statement, explaining that the plainclothes cops in the video were members of the Warrant Squad and the woman was arrested for “damaging police cameras during 5 separate criminal incidents”:
In regard to a video on social media that took place at 2 Ave & 25 St, a woman taken into custody in an unmarked van was wanted for damaging police cameras during 5 separate criminal incidents in & around City Hall Park. The arresting officers were assaulted with rocks & bottles. pic.twitter.com/2jGD3DT3eV
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 29, 2020
And it’s pretty common for police departments to use this type of tactic:
When officers from the Warrant Squad took the woman into custody in a gray NYPD minivan this evening, they were assaulted with rocks and bottles. The Warrant Squad uses unmarked vehicles to effectively locate wanted suspects.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 29, 2020
Also, there were uniformed cops on the scene not shown in the video:
When she was placed into the Warrant Squad's unmarked gray minivan, it was behind a cordon of NYPD bicycle cops in bright yellow and blue uniform shirts there to help effect the arrest.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 29, 2020
This last bit was confirmed by a journalist:
NYPD just confirmed that this was them, @businessinsider is reporting.
Other footage shows NYPD officers surrounding the unmarked van. https://t.co/VNAZlxtWcE https://t.co/ruAmcDtdwV
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) July 29, 2020
Video here:
nypd is out here KIDNAPPING protesters off of the street pic.twitter.com/LCCBj0Ipp8
— Natalie (@Naddleez) July 28, 2020
So, not a kidnapping. AT. ALL.
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