Cop-On-Hipster Brutality Caught On Tape In Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Cops in riot gear tried to disperse an election-reveling crowd at 3 AM Wednesday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and, well, some cameraphones were damaged. This is how they do accusations of police brutality in the hipster capital of the world. It's hard to feel sorry for the "victims" here (warning: lots of yelling!):
If anything, this video proves it's possible to yell and whine at the same time. (Hey, I get it, I met a cop without a sense of humor while celebrating in the streets on election night, too. But I didn't tape him and turn it into a viral video about police assault. Why can't we all just get along?)
Posted by Lindsay at 2:30 PM in Caught On Tape
Tags: Election 2008 | Hipsters
that is sort of assault. but it was deserved. so it evens out.
Score = 2
When the police ask you to move while wearing riot gear I suggest you do what they say.
Score = 1
Fuck that. They were moving backwards, against a crowd. They were following the directives. So they're douchebags? Cops are supposed to be professionals, and that means they have got to get used to being on camera constantly. A camera in the face is a camera in the face. Oh well.
It's not stopping you from doing your job. You're a fucking public servant, so you get recorded. Hell, they videotape us all the time. I know it's sooooo easy to be like "Oohhh man, i feel backed up, like i gotta take a big crap.... OOOHhh there's some hipsters... Unnngghghg....Oh man, so relaxing and enjoyable, to crap on people on the corner of Bedford and N.7th, I love that feeling."
But you know what? First they came for the DB's, and I didn't say anything, because I'm only part douchebag. Then they came for the hipsters, and I consider myself much too uncool (or too cool) be labeled a hipster, so I said nothing. Etc. etc. You know how it ends. The bottom line is, don't fuck with my First Amendment rights. This is most certainly a free speech issue, even for these dickbags.
Happy friday everybody!
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They had the right to film the police officers. The police officers were forcing them to move without giving a reason. Under no circumstances is it right to assault civilians (or destroy their property.) I know you are trying to be funny (as are the other commenter), and I agree this isn't "brutality," as that word has a strong connotation, but I get the impression that you condone the police acting in this manner. Because they dress hip or have a defiant attitude, they apparently deserve to have their property damaged?
Score = -1
I hate both side here, but that's because I prefer west coast hipsters and we don't have cops in SF.
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Seriously! Oh, people do not understand this. I have had so many conversations about how much nicer hippies are in the Pac NW than Western Mass. The hipster thing is true, too, I think hipsters on the West Coast are more self-conscious than their East Coast counterparts, which somehow translates into being so much less annoying. I have a theory about it, going something like how all the good 60s stuff started here, but you will have to wait for my useless book.
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You guys are absolutely right, those cops went all Amadou Diallo on those poor defenseless hipsters. Those hipsters weren't provoking them AT ALL. Good for you, hipster! You incited violence! Way to go! WOOO!
Jackasses.
Score = -3
I definitely think the officer overreacted, and he should not have touched that guy's phone... but, I do get the distinct impression that the guy with the camera phone was gunning for something like that to happen. He was definitely provoking the cop, because he was a cop. Now, when he's hanging out with his friends, he can be all like "Hey, I know what it's like to be repressed by the cops, man. I was out partying in the street at 3am, and some cop told me to move, and I was all like "Why do you want me to get out of the middle of the street at 3am, man, I'm partying. But he was all like 'move out of the street!.' I got him on my phone totally fucking with my rights, and then he fucked up my phone and totally assaulted me! More PBR, please."
Have rights and freedoms, like free speech (this is not a case of free speech) or not having police beat you, doesn't give you the right to get aggressive because you think you're standing up for something. You're not. You're being an asshole. Look at a place like Egypt, where you can be held and beaten, and threatened with more beatings and rape, just for having a Facebook page.
Get out of the fucking street, and keep your phone out of people's faces. Pick the battles that matter.
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This is the kind of stuff that happens to those who wear fedoras.
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There was no reason for GET THAT FUCKING PHONE OUT OF MY FACE.
I would have replied with "Stop moving your face toward my camera, then! Get your fucking face out of my camera! Why do you insist on keeping your face in front of my camera?" Because he was moving closer to the crowd while the crowd was moving slowly.
And at the end, that was unwarranted assault, BTW. Methinks that cop may be getting desk duty for a little while.
Score = 2
Hey, I was there all night long. I celebrated and yelled until I had no voice left. And the only "brutality" I saw was some drunk idiots jumping on the hood of a car and throwing a bottle to the police. They scurried out of there when one cop asked them to please stop damaging private property, as I'm sure that car was not theirs.
If you're gonna be a dickwad and shove your phone on a cop's face just to get hyped and brag about how you "stand against authority", then don't complain. You didn't need to be a cop to understand the reason why cops wanted people to move off hte street: we blocked the traffic for hours!
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For the record, that was my friend getting his ass beat by the cops and his "crime" appeared to be not moving fast enough from the street to the sidewalk. For that he got beaten, bruised, thrown on broken glass and trash, put in jail for 18 hours and two misdemeanor charges. Apparently the neighborhood cops were totally cool, but these Task Force guys showed up and clearly wanted to beat some ass.
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Dear r,
Your friend "getting his ass beat by the cops" deserved what happened to him for thinking he was a big shit for "standing up" against authority and touting the First Amendment like it's his goofy fedora, or the old-man vest I'm SURE he has, or any other ridiculous and trendy affectation he and all the other Bedford dipshits are known for. What he is in fact is a miserable, feeble, amateur clown, no different from all the other Williamsburg trust-fund babies who want to live in Manhattan, but even their allowance won't cover it, and settle in Brooklyn (but only one stop out from Manhattan). Isn't Bedford just GRAND?
Anyway, I'm glad that your friend got a good dose of reality, seeing as you all wear COSTUMES everyday.
Score = 2
I hope your friend will report what happened to the civilian complaint review board and also come to the 94th precincts community meeting on the 17th.
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Gah these people are annoying. Hipsters think that all cops are going to be sweet like their DARE officers from their suburban middle schools so they think they can backtalk them and provoke them and that the cops won't react. They were making you move without a reason? UH, YOU WERE BLOCKING TRAFFIC. And you were being loud, and drunk. Just because you are a group of white people doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want. People were celebrating in Harlem and other neighborhoods and we didn't get beaten up by cops because we realized that dancing on cars and blocking traffic for hours is counterproductive.
That said, the NYPD can be big fucking abusive asshole a lot of the time, but don't pretend that getting your expensive cameraphone shoved is comparable to actual police brutality.
Score = 1
hipster vs. cop
battle for title of your boyfriend!
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Hi Bozo, while I sympathize with your attitude (the revulsion is natural, I agree), you're strictly arguing from deep within reductio ad sartorium here.
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I saw the whole thing and it was a case of things spiraling because of the late hour and the large crowd. The guys should have moved when the cops told them to. The cops should have made some sort of effort to dispel the crowds before resorting to pushing and shoving. The sad thing here is that the atmosphere was amazing, joyous, unforgettable...and this is the part of it that's being talked about. Also, those of you throwing the "hipster" word around were clearly not there. There were people of all sizes, shapes, ages, and races present.
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All the hipster had to say was "I'm white and I'm only pretending to be poor."
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I happen to be taking a First Amendment Law class at the moment, and I also happen to live in Brooklyn, so I feel I have some authority to respond to your First Amendment claim...
Yes we have a right to speak, especially in the streets, which are a traditional place for public speaking. But... there are limitations and restrictions, a biggie being "time, place, and/or manner." The police are authorized to break up public gatherings at odd hours... Or big gatherings without permits. As to their swatting cameras out of people's hands, that's more of a tortious act, battery. However when people in the street touch police, they're also committing battery, and potentially a specific offense regarding battery of a police officer.
Remember, the police are ALSO people, with rights of their own, and they can speak freely under the Constitution just as you can. They can be suspended or fired for their speech if their supervisors deem it necessary, but as long as they aren't going crazy with political or racial epithets, they can speak freely as well, and they were clearly dispatched that evening to clear the streets, which is a perfectly reasonable governmental interest.
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