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Was The Union Square Subway Station Shut Down Because Of A Political Demonstration?
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 22, 2012
Modified Mar 22, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 22, 2012
Modified Mar 22, 2012
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In the midst of a large march and rally last night to protest the lack of prosecution in the murder of 17-year-old Florida teen Trayvon Martin, the Union Square subway station was completely shut down for almost two hours. Between 8 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., the station was shut down, with no trains stopping in an eerily abandoned station (except for cops). An MTA spokesperson tells us the transit hub, which accommodates seven train lines, was shut down due to a suspicious package. Here's what one entrance to the station looked like from street level, as angry demonstrators taunted the police guarding the entrance below:
The MTA referred us to the NYPD press office for more details, which the NYPD could not or would not provide. Earlier in the evening, police told Occupy Wall Street demonstrators they were not permitted to hold a banner on the southern part of the park, because it was too large. This outraged many, not least because Union Square has a long history as a gathering place for political demonstrations. When some protesters reluctantly lowered the banner, City Councilmember Jumaane Williams and others stepped in.
You cannot arrest for HOLDING a banner, yet the #NYPD is attemping to at #UnionSquare. I'm proud to defend the #righttoprotest with @Ydanis.
— Jumaane D. Williams (@JumaaneWilliams) March 21, 2012
Courtesy Joey Boots, here's more video of the subway entrance at the southern end of the park, where an angry crowd weren't shy about sharing their feelings with the police:
After a march splintered downtown and up to Times Square, many Occupy Wall Street activists—who had joined in solidarity with the "Million Hoodie March"—returned to Union Square, which has been a focal point of tension between protesters and cops this week. Once again, police took the unusual step of closing the southern edge of the park around midnight, forcing approximately 1,000 protesters to disperse. It appears there were minimal arrests (the NYPD press office did not have any arrest count this morning), but the scene remained fraught with tension, as this interesting video shows:
Tagged
nypd
occupy wall street
union square
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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