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NYPD Shuts Down East 6th Street, Tompkins Square Park, Arrests Two
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 15, 2012
Modified Apr 15, 2012
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Gothamist
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 15, 2012
Modified Apr 15, 2012
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At least two men were arrested in front of the Sixth Street Community Center around 10:00 p.m. after the NYPD responded to a call that bottles and projectiles were being thrown off the building's roof. "The police just came and brutalized two guys who were standing outside the stoop," an employee of the community center who declined to give their name said. Another witness, Marc C., said the two men were beaten by the police before being taken into custody. "It was ten cops on two guys, just kicking and punching them. They were plainclothes officers, so it just looked like a fight on the street. Then the patrol cars showed up."
The community center was hosting an after party for the Anarchist Book Fair. Around an hour before police showed up, Tompkins Square Park was shut down after reports that a large crowd vandalized storefronts and was congregating in the park. Attendees of the after party say the two events were completely unrelated. "I heard that they had to close the park because of some Occupy stuff," the community center employee said, "But they were just looking to settle what happened in the park, and saw people outside our event that fit the description."
As of this writing, the NYPD press office had no information regarding the arrests.
A security guard at 630 Sixth Street, Marc Adorno, described the two men who were arrested as, "Two guys, two big guys with tattoos and backpacks. While the cops were cuffing one of them, he screamed, 'What are you arresting me for?' " Police initially attempted to gain entry to the community center before the manager was called to take them up on the roof. "Impossible. It would have been impossible for people to get up there. When the cops got up there, nobody was there," the community center employee said.
"It may have been the neighbors who complained," Adorno said. "They always complain. But it wasn't very noisy tonight." He added, "The cops got up on the roof across the street and started shining the light over to the other side, to see if anyone was hiding."
Sixth Street was closed to vehicles for around an hour, and pedestrian traffic was halted. As the attendees of the party exited the community center, the NYPD officers watched them silently as they left. A total of around 30 NYPD officers remained on Sixth Street during the ordeal. "We're not gonna arrest you unless you do something illegal," one white-shirted officer said to the groups leaving the building.
The police remained facing the community center for the better part of an hour. Shortly before midnight, one of the white-shirted supervisors announced, "They're just having a band here. Let's go."
"There were ten cops screaming and pounding on my window," said a neighbor who declined to be named because they're employed by the city. "They storm into my building to get on the roof and they won't tell me why, they won't tell me what they're doing. They lie to me and say they're checking on something that's wrong with the roof." The officers had entered the city employee's building across the street to shine a spotlight on the roof across the street.
"They even left the door open," the neighbor added. "I work for the Bloomberg administration. I work for the Department of Health and Human Services. And I'm filing a complaint." The neighbor continued, "I'm glad the community center is there, it's a good thing for this block. But it's unacceptable for the police to just storm into buildings late at night chasing someone who they think is across the street throwing bottles."
Tagged
alphabet city
crime
east village
nypd
occupy wall street
sixth street community center
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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