Thursday, April 15, 2010

NYPD LOSING SENSE OF ITS PRIORITIES


NYPD continued its recent crackdown on mixed use spaces with Tuesday's daytime raid of 13 Thames. The raid was aimed at the I AM collective, an anarchist group that has a book fair and film festival planned for this Friday. The officers did not present a warrant. Two people with unpaid tickets for minor offenses were taken to jail overnight and questioned regarding the events' organizers. That's the straight news.

Two different takes: (here) and (here)

The NYPD's concern about the burgeoning crime wave in East Williamsburg and Bushwick is appreciated, but has so far efforts have been gravely misdirected. Sure, hassling Marcy Hotel, Market Hotel, Surreal Estate, McKibben, and other well known spaces will probably lead to a (purely) statistical drop in crime for the area, but the truth is that if NYPD was doing its job in the first place and actually protecting people, the petty crimes associated with venues and general nightlife activities would not be such an issue. Hassling anarchists sitting in their living room and kids trying to have a good time isn't going to do anything except inflame further anti-police sentiment. No matter how you feel about these spaces, this is a disturbingly repressive trend. That's just the opinion of one "marshmallow."

2 comments:

  1. The cops are far more valorous if they are actively seeking out dissidents. Since 'criminal's' aren't dissidents by default (their contribution to far more dangerous cause's is minimal) they take a backseat to anti-corporate, anti-government groups, as well as any other organizations committed to the resistance of establishment cultural institutions.

    It's sad and frustrating for sure that the causes these sorts of groups stand for is something that is so heavily oppressed, letting these sorts of pitfalls get you down is only giving into what the powers that be desire, keep fighting!!

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