NYPD Stops Cindy Sheehan Speech, Cuts Mic, Disperses Enraged Crowd
NYPD were nearly chased out of Union Square Park after cutting Cindy Sheehan's mic today.
By todd
A rally of 150 New Yorkers at Camp Casey-NYC was cut short this afternoon when NYPD acting under Inspector MacEnroy broke through the human wall of Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out activists surrounding Gold Star Mom Cindy Sheehan and cut off her microphone and took her amplifier. Cindy Sheehan was reporting on the successful Bring Them Home Now bus tour. One activist remains in jail.
Cops less directly involved in the attack and arrest retreated to the chair/bike ramp, chased by a chanting crowd of 60-70 from among 150 or so who had attended the dispersed rally. There they formed up a military line in order to remain in the park as New Yorkers chanted "police out of the park" and "who's f-cking park? OUR f-cking park!" during a sometimes-tense 20 minute standoff. Lisa Fithian attempted to calm the crowd but also said that in 23 cities, the Bring Them Home Now bus tour had not been treated as aggressively as in New York City.
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Keywords: Government, War & Peace, Analysis, Local, Activism,
NYPD attack Cindy Sheehan rally, cut her mic
This below is accurate from what I saw. Zool was clearly selected for political arrest while standing peacefully among many in the crowd surrounding Cindy Sheehan as she spoke. Inspector McEnroy and local PD apparently did not choose to arrest the entire crowd of 150 attending, or the vets and military families surrounding Cindy. Rather he waited until Sheehan had started speaking before attacking zool and the sound system.
Cops less directly involved in the attack and arrest retreated to the chair/bike ramp, chased by a chanting crowd of 60-70 from among 150 or so who had attended the dispersed rally. There they formed up a military line in order to remain in the park as New Yorkers chanted "police out of the park" and "who's f-cking park? OUR f-cking park!" during a sometimes-tense 20 minute standoff. Lisa Fithian attempted to calm the crowd but also said that in 23 cities, the Bring Them Home Now bus tour had not been treated as aggressively as in New York City.
(To New Yorkers' undying shame, we have taught these criminal vermin that they will usually get away with it and escape with their city pensions, hate-filled homes and ill-bred families all quite intact.)
Later a 13th Precinct desk officer claimed zool had been charged with operating an amplifier illegally. But within twenty minutes of the arrest and even during the standoff 30 feet away, a smaller crowd had gathered around a replacement sound system listening to folk music and short speeches, with no apparent local PD interest.
Please come down to Camp Casey-NYC, please come to the Cathedral tonight, and please come to Washington.
mitchelcohen@mindspring.com
Sent: Sep 19, 2005 4:13 PM
BREAKING: NYPD Break Up Speech by Cindy Sheehan in Union Square
Monday, September 19, 3 pm
As anti-war activist and gold-star mom Cindy Sheehan addressed hundreds of people assembled in Union Square Park in Manhattan this afternoon, around 12 members of the New York Police Department waded into the crowd, confiscated the sound system and arrested "Camp Casey" [NYC] organizer Paul "Zool" Zulkowitz.
Sheehan was immediately encircled by other members of the Vets for Peace and others in her group and taken to safety. (Cindy Sheehan will be speaking tonight at St. John the Divine Cathedral at 112th St. and Amsterdam Avenue.)
I was standing just to Zool's left and witnessed an NYPD official draw an index finger across his throat (presumably a signal to cut off Cindy's speech) just as the police moved in.
I also witnessed the same NYPD officials point to Zool, who was standing with many others, and several cops went straight for him, knocking me and others out of their way, and grabbed Zool without any of the police saying a word.
The large crowd changed "Shame! Shame!" and "End the War!" as police whisked Zool out of the east side of the Park and into a police van.
A number of Green Party members video'd the entire episode. Please write back to me if you want the contact information for the videographers.
- Mitchel Cohen
Brooklyn Greens, and co-editor of "G" the newspaper of the NY State Greens
By todd redscares@mindspring.com http://tinyurl.com/awnva/
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