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Bike Lane Repainters: "We're Self-Hating Jewish Hipsters"
By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 9, 2009
Modified Dec 9, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 9, 2009
Modified Dec 9, 2009
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Two cycling activists suspected of repainting the Bedford Avenue bike lane turned themselves in at the 90th Precinct in Williamsburg yesterday.
According to the Post, 26-year-old Quinn Hechtropf and 24-year-old Katherine Piccochi were among the bikers who used paint rollers, spray paint and stencils to recreate the South Williamsburg cycling path, which was removed by the city last week with little explanation. As they painted the lane at around 3:30 am on Monday, the Hasidic community's Shomrim Patrol grabbed the pair and alerted police, who did not issue summonses or make any arrests, contrary to preliminary reports. But a day later — after a video of the repainting appeared online — detectives asked Hechtropf and Piccochi to surrender. After getting hit with criminal mischief charges, a violation for defacing the street, and desk-appearance tickets, Hechtropf had this to say: "We're self-hating Jewish hipsters."
Bike activist Baruch Herzfeld, an Orthodox Jew who runs a South Williamsburg bike clubhouse, claims that cops arrested the duo at the urging of the religious community: "The cops told them they wouldn't get arrested, but the police must have come under pressure by the Hasidim." But members of the Hasidic community including Moshe Goldberger complained to the tabloid that even though the cycling activists broke the law, they are the ones being vilified: "That unauthorized painting on New York City property is unlawful, but that is overlooked because it's committed against the terrible Hasidim."
A Department of Transportation spokesman told The Brooklyn Paper that "[a]ny paint remaining after [Wednesday’s] expected rainfall will be removed."
Tagged
arrest
bedford avenue
bike lane
Hasidic
hasidim
Katherine Piccochi
nypd
police
Quinn Hechtropf
shomrim
south williamsburg
Ben Muessig
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