City Councilman Jumaane Williams was shoved by a baton-wielding NYPD cop at Zuccotti Park on Occupy Wall Street’s 1-year anniversary
Williams, who ran into trouble with the NYPD at last year's West Indian Day Parade, was shoved three times, but later told a reporter he was 'okay'
By Stephen Rex Brown / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, September 18, 2012, 1:27 AM
@jeffrae/via Twitter
Twitter photo via @jeffrae showing City Councilman Jumaane Williams (l.) being pushed by an NYPD officer during an Occupy Wall Street demonstration at Zuccotti Park in Downtown Manhattan.
City Councilman Jumaane Williams got into another dustup with the NYPD —
this time a photo showed a cop shoving him in the chest during an
Occupy Wall Street rally Monday night.
Williams, who has been an outspoken ally of the Occupy movement since its early days last year, was observing a rally in Zuccotti Park and standing on a bench when he was shoved three times by the cop, who used her baton, according to livestream video of the protests.
“I’m okay. I told them I was a councilmember observing. Guess they didn’t hear me,” the councilman later told a Gothamist reporter.
The councilman had been taking in the protests throughout the day that commemorated Occupy’s one-year anniversary.
“Have seen NYPD show restraint. Have also witnessed some very questionable arrests at OWS,” he tweeted late Monday afternoon, before the incident.
Roughly 30 minutes before the image of the cop shoving him appeared online, Williams noted the atmosphere in Zuccotti.
“Just came back to OWS smaller crowd tensions still high,” he tweeted.
The New York Civil Liberties Union tweeted Monday night that Williams was night-sticked in the leg during the interaction with the cop.
At last year’s West Indian Day Parade, Williams wound up in handcuffs. The Brooklyn Democrat was in a crowd that went into a restricted area near the Brooklyn Museum when a melee broke out. Cops said someone threw a punch, so they took people into custody — Williams and a top aide to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio included. Williams was detained but never charged; two cops were disciplined.
Williams’ relationship with city police had seemingly improved prior to his Zuccotti encounter. At the West Indian Day Parade earlier this month, Williams had the privilege of two officers accompanying him around the parade route the entire time.
The NYPD did not comment on Monday’s incident. At least 181 people were arrested during the day of protests.
sbrown@nydailynews.com
Williams, who has been an outspoken ally of the Occupy movement since its early days last year, was observing a rally in Zuccotti Park and standing on a bench when he was shoved three times by the cop, who used her baton, according to livestream video of the protests.
“I’m okay. I told them I was a councilmember observing. Guess they didn’t hear me,” the councilman later told a Gothamist reporter.
The councilman had been taking in the protests throughout the day that commemorated Occupy’s one-year anniversary.
“Have seen NYPD show restraint. Have also witnessed some very questionable arrests at OWS,” he tweeted late Monday afternoon, before the incident.
Roughly 30 minutes before the image of the cop shoving him appeared online, Williams noted the atmosphere in Zuccotti.
“Just came back to OWS smaller crowd tensions still high,” he tweeted.
The New York Civil Liberties Union tweeted Monday night that Williams was night-sticked in the leg during the interaction with the cop.
At last year’s West Indian Day Parade, Williams wound up in handcuffs. The Brooklyn Democrat was in a crowd that went into a restricted area near the Brooklyn Museum when a melee broke out. Cops said someone threw a punch, so they took people into custody — Williams and a top aide to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio included. Williams was detained but never charged; two cops were disciplined.
Williams’ relationship with city police had seemingly improved prior to his Zuccotti encounter. At the West Indian Day Parade earlier this month, Williams had the privilege of two officers accompanying him around the parade route the entire time.
The NYPD did not comment on Monday’s incident. At least 181 people were arrested during the day of protests.
sbrown@nydailynews.com
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