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Judge orders pro-car protester to stay away from NYC transportation commissioner
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Nov 28, 2023
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NYC Department of Transportation/YouTube
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Nov 28, 2023
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A judge has ordered a pro-driver activist to stay away from city Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez after he interrupted a press conference last week in a tirade that ended in his arrest.
Raul Rivera, a taxi driver who runs a social media account called NYC Drivers Unite, was captured on video screaming at Rodriguez as he hailed a street safety project on Berry Street in Williamsburg. Rivera yelled the commissioner was “selling out the city,” and called him “a disgrace” as well as a “gentrifier.”
Prosecutors say Rivera crossed a line when he tore up a copy of the commissioner’s speech, ripped down signs promoting the project and ignored orders to back away. Rivera was outraged over the redesign of a stretch of Berry Street, where pedestrians are now encouraged to walk in the roadway during the day.
As the police attempted to arrest Rivera, he resisted by “flailing [his] arms,” which caused an officer to sprain her finger and break her nail, according to a criminal complaint.
Meanwhile, a crowd of supporters of the project sought to drown out Rivera’s complaints, chanting, “We love open streets!”
Rivera pleaded not guilty to assault, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and harassment. A judge also imposed an order of protection requiring Rivera stay away from the transportation commissioner, according to the Brooklyn district attorney’s office.
An attorney representing Rivera declined to comment on the incident. Rivera could not be reached.
Rivera is known among local transportation advocates for frequently disrupting their events. As a self-proclaimed “TLC driver advocate,” he regularly posts clips of himself yelling at City Council hearings and rallies for street safety projects. He calls climate change “a hoax” used by city officials to punish drivers. He’s launched a petition to reform the Taxi & Limousine Commission.
In a video posted on X in September, Rivera is captured pushing attendees at a City Hall rally held by the street safety group Transportation Alternatives. In the clip he yells “congestion pricing is a crime!” referring to the MTA’s plan to toll motorists who drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan. Rivera reposted the video on his own account.
The Berry Street redesign is modeled after the city’s Open Streets program, where cars are banned in certain areas during parts of the week. A DOT spokesperson said that the Open Street initiative is very popular among residents of North Brooklyn, where the altercation occurred.
“NYC DOT surveyed thousands of North Brooklyn residents and found that 85% of respondents indicated they used Open Streets while walking,” said spokesperson Vincent Barone in an email, referring to a study from 2021. Barone also added that 77% of those surveyed said they visit Open Streets either daily or multiple times a week.
Barone declined to comment on Rivera’s arrest.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
transportation
brooklyn
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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