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Pillow Fight Was Under Surveillance
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 20, 2010
Modified Apr 20, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 20, 2010
Modified Apr 20, 2010
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Earlier this month thousands converged at Union Square for a massive pillow fight, but now the Daily News is taking a look at what was happening behind the scenes before the feathers flew. Reportedly the NYPD assigned plainclothes and uniformed officers from the Intelligence Division to conduct surveillance, something some officers deemed a waste of time because it "was just about a bunch of high school kids goofing off."
Part of their surveillance included checking in on 23-year-old organizer Kevin Bracken, who told the paper the NYPD even visited his mother on Long Island prior to the event! "They said, "We need to talk to your son.' These were Intel guys who had been to my house before—I live in Bushwick—so obviously they know where I live. They were harassing her."
Bracken didn't have a permit for this event, or others he's held in the past, and cops warned him he could be arrested. And allegedly this Intel Division was recently posted at bars and cafes trying to get word of rallies and protests prior to the Anarchist Book Fair held over the weekend. Yep, The Man is out there, listening.
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Intel Division
Kevin Bracken
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pillow fight
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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