The New York City Police Department drew outrage after plainclothes officers were filmed arresting an 18-year-old woman and placing her in an unmarked van.
The video, which was filmed by a reporter at the protest, shows four officers in street clothes grabbing the woman, Nikki Stone, and forcing her into the vehicle. Several other uniformed officers were on the scene.
Stone was wanted for damaging police cameras on five different instances near City Hall Park. She was marching with other protesters as part of a 24-hour demonstration when the arrest took place.
NYC is taking after Portland – a trans femme protestor was pulled into an unmarked van at the Abolition Park protest – this was at 2nd Ave and 25th Street pic.twitter.com/1PDhSYuK9h
— michelle lh࿊࿊q (@MichelleLhooq) July 28, 2020
The use of plainclothes officers and unmarked vehicles drew comparisons to the arrests made by federal officers in Portland, but the New York City Police Department said that the officers involved in the arrest on Tuesday were members of the department. Eleven other protesters were arrested during the demonstration.
Video of the arrest went viral, prompting concern among New York City officials.
“Concerned about what we are seeing in this video. Reaching to try and get some answers,” tweeted New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
“Our civil liberties are on brink. This is not a drill. There is no excuse for snatching women off the street and throwing them into unmarked vans. To not protect our rights is to give them away. It is our responsibility to resist authoritarianism,” said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The American Civil Liberties Union tweeted that law enforcement “must be held accountable.”
The police department addressed the controversial arrest on Twitter, noting that unmarked vans were used to “effectively locate wanted suspects.” The department also said that officers involved in the arrests were “assaulted with rocks & bottles.”
Stone was released from jail early Wednesday morning, and it is not clear if she was charged.
When officers from the Warrant Squad took the woman into custody in a gray NYPD minivan this evening, they were assaulted with rocks and bottles. The Warrant Squad uses unmarked vehicles to effectively locate wanted suspects.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 29, 2020
