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Protestors arrested at Jordan Neely demonstration, including prominent photojournalist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 9, 2023
Modified May 9, 2023
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Andrew Lichtenstein / Contributor
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 9, 2023
Modified May 9, 2023
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Police said they seized a molotov cocktail and six people, including a prominent photojournalist, during a protest Monday night over the death of Jordan Neely, who was choked to death on the F train last week. Four more people were given summonses, according to the NYPD.
About 150 people had gathered near Houston Street and Broadway as part of a vigil around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, according to the police.
At a press conference later that evening, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey and Chief of Patrol John Chell said the people taken into custody had violated several laws, including using a loud microphone and blocking the street.
Chell said that two of the people had “assaulted themselves,” and others were arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the department would not clarify what “assaulted themselves” meant.
Photojournalist Stephanie Keith, who has contributed to the New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, Gothamist and other outlets, was arrested for “interfering” in three separate arrests, according to Chell.
Before she was arrested, Keith had shot numerous photographs at the event, including one of a protester with a bloodied face. In a post on her Instagram account, she said she was “flabbergasted” that she had been arrested and had been standing with two other photojournalists when officers grabbed her.
Reached by text on Tuesday, Keith disputed the officers' account that she had interfered with the arrest. She said she was "not even near the arrest, I didn't even see it."
"Other journalists were closer," she said.
The molotov cocktail was found on the ground as officers moved the crowd, according to Maddrey. He said it was made in a glass bottle with a rag and an unknown liquid inside that the NYPD was planning to test. No one has yet been arrested in connection to it.
“I want to make it clear: we respect people’s right to protest, we respect their first amendment rights, but we will not tolerate people breaking the law. More importantly, we will not tolerate people bringing weapons and dangerous substances to peaceful protests,” Maddrey said
After the arrests, Maddrey said the remaining protesters marched peacefully from Houston Street and Broadway to the seventh precinct station house, just south of the Williamsburg Bridge.
There, they were able to make their voices heard, according to Maddey, and they left when they were ready.
The city has seen several protests since the death of Jordan Neely, including one on Sunday, in which people stood on subway tracks at the 63rd Street - Lexington Avenue subway.
At the press conference Monday, Chell said that two additional people were arrested at Sunday’s protest for jumping onto the subway tracks.
This story has been updated with comment from Keith, and to clarify that Keith has shot photographs for Gothamist. The story and the headline have also been updated with arrest data provided by the NYPD.
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new york city
Jordan Neely
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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