More Questions About Police Parade Arrests

There are new details surrounding Sunday's 208 arrests at the Puerto Rican Day Parade: According to the NY Times, the police still claim that people were arrested for "specific illegal behavior," like blocking traffic, and not because they were wearing colors of the Latin Kings gang. However:

Criminal complaints filed against 10 defendants show that the police were concerned about the risk that those arrested would engage in violent or threatening behavior or cause some public inconvenience.

The complaints also indicate that the police were looking for signs of gang identification, like clothing colors and hand signals, when they arrested people.

So, is it a mini-broken windows approach at a parade - block traffic, and you might engage in violent behavior? While pushing and blocking pedestrian traffic is certainly illegal, it's a crowded parade, so there's bound to be a lot of pushing. NY1 filmed some of the arrests and confrontations between parade-goers and police, one which "police say they stepped in to help a woman who said she was being sexually abused."

The NYCLU suggested that the parade arrests could have included innocent people, much like the the Republican National conventions arrests as well as the arrests of 30 youths on their way to the wake of a friend in Bushwick. The NYPD denied it, saying, "There were no pre-emptive arrests made at the Republican National Convention, none made in Bushwick, and there were none made here."

There's also some confusion about how many people were arrested at last year's parade. Yesterday, the Times reported that around 50-60 were arrested, making this year's 208 arrests a huge increase. But the NYPD now says over 150 were arrested last year. Though the Manhattan DA's office only knew of 64 arrests in 2006, the NYPD's explanation is that 87 other people were processed at precincts, not police headquarters.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on June 13, 2007 10:30 AM

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AlmightySire

I submit this post on behalf of all of the Latin Kings in New York State as it applies to the arrest made at the Puerto Rican Parade on June 10, 2007.

There are allegations that the Latin Kings intended to "crash" the parade and March without permission in the parade. There is no truth to these statements and has only been stated by law enforcement officials as a cover up to their illegal actions. The Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation would never disrespect our national day of celebration with such an act.

What law enforcement officials are not telling the public and seem to be hiding is that an ORDER was given both verbally and in writing to all GANG INTELLIGENCE and other supporting units to ARREST ANY and ALL MEMBERS of the Latin Kings. What the directive mentioned was how to identify the Latin Kings which stated the colors Black and Gold/Yellow, hand signals etc. The directive did not state "if you see anyone fitting this description committing a crime then arrest them...” it stated to ARREST on site. This information was made known to us by police officers involved in Sunday’s unlawful actions. It appears that law enforcement officials do not intend to be forth coming with this information.

What you will probably begin to hear next to cover up their unlawful actions will be that their "source" for this information of the Latin Kings "crashing" the parade, came from confidential informants. Of course they will never disclose who these confidential informants are to validate the so-called information received. What the public is not aware of is that for quite some time now law enforcement units have been placing informants among the ALKQN not to gather information about our activities and any possible wrong doing but to have their informants initiate crimes and involve members of the Latin Kings. They have taken entrapment to a completely new level. They have made it a point to place informants in leadership positions to ORDER members to commit crimes.

The arrest that took place at the Puerto Rican Day Parade was arrest of people who were lawfully within their right to be present. Latino people who only came to celebrate with their people on this day most look forward to each and every year. It is neither within law enforcements right nor that of the parade organizers right to decide who shall bee allowed to "go" to the parade and who shall not based on their beliefs or affiliations with an organization. A great number of the Latin Kings arrested are tax paying citizens and people who have never been arrested up until that day.

It is becoming painfully obvious that the concerns of the arrest made are only turning to those who were not members of the Latin Kings and not the Latin Kings themselves. Our response to this is the following:

"We understand that for so many years the Latin Kings have been viewed as a violent gang with very little positive attributes. We accept that for all the positive members we have we are out numbered by almost 3 times as many fake members who claim to be Latin Kings but are not and engage in the negativity that we are held accountable for. While we continue to strive to remove these individuals from our membership we continue to be faced with law enforcement initiatives that perpetuate more crime and negativity.

While we are supporters of law enforcement and their responsibility to protect the public we recognize that law enforcement is simply not a proactive solution designed to deter and prevent crime from happening. Instead law enforcement, in our world at least, is more focused on making sure crimes ARE committed so that they can make arrest.

We ask the public and community to at least bear with us even if you do not support us. We will continue our efforts to change the image of the ALKQN so that our membership only attracts positive influential people. We ask that the U.S. Attorneys Office and District Attorneys Offices help us by contributing guidance and advice other than "cease to exist." If you haven't learned by now...we are not going anywhere."

Almighty Sire

Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation

Tim N.

I think we are living in the Obi-Wan Kenobi era of government...

"There were no pre-emptive arrests made at the Republican National Convention, none made in Bushwick, and there were none made here."

"These aren't the droids you're looking for."

"They were all gang members."

"He's free to go about his business."

"Iraq had WMD and was responsible for the World Trade Center."

"Move along."

zodak

#13 no nos ayudas cuando escribes cosas como "la chinita."

Also, turning off guest comments blinds you to the racism that surrounds you.

S.D.

(sigh)

Mihow, I'm with you on this one. It's not the post I mind, but the reactions.

Mike D

About 1/3 of the guest comments could be seen as racist -- so maybe people aren't quite as bad as you/I/we might think?

The other 2/3rds seem to be about grammar and hating on Jen Chung... same old Gothamist.

rtd2101

The turn off guest comments is the best thing ever!

No longer do I have to listen to racist guests blathering on like idiots...

mihow

Post says there are 22 comments. I see only 7. Something makes me think it ain't pretty when you turn off the "Hide Guest Comments" feature.

Join me, S.D. Join me in the ignorance is bliss approach here on Gothamist. You can imagine the other comments through rose colored glasses.

guest

#17, I agree. If the parade didn't have so much violence and sexual assault against women then it wouldn't be so much news.

I think the parade should stop. I have nothing against people from PR. I don't think that makes me a bad person or racist. I just enjoy living in a safe city, and I stay the hell away from midtown every year when it's time for this parade.

guest

this is again, why I dance and sing and do my thing whenever a cop dies or has karma handed to them on a silver platter.

Oh, don't you doubt her powers, it always works.

Works wonders. how's that kid with autism doing?

this is the first time I've seen edex use the term

"Libs", says a lot about him, I would say.

paul

Most of the people posting here are ridiculously out of touch with society.

Welcome to New York, where your niche in society is the only right niche, and everyone else is stupid and should go away.

I wish everyone in this city was more open-minded. Sad.

ed_Extinct

#17:

people get offended when an ice cream flavor is named after their borough... "staten island landfill" from 5B ice cream - - - big deal... who f-ing cares...

guest

Puerto Ricans are so touchy.

guest

#8: How is reporting the facts inflammatory? Should she pretend that no one was arrested and that the entire city doesn't dread the PR parade? Let's just stop reporting crime altogether so no one gets offended.

ed_Extinct

there has been a dominican parade in nyc since 1982.

there has also been a mexican parade since i believe 1995.

the PR parade used to be the hispanic day parade and quite frankly should be renamed, again or at least until they claim independence from the united states.

guest

I agree, hispanic day parade would be better, but then you'd probably see a riot break out when a dominican steps on a puerto rican's brand spankin new shoes.

Just get it out of the UES.

guest

Perhaps it is time to END the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and return the parade to what it had been for decades before the PR's took it over: Hispanic Day Parade.

Puerto Ricans are no longer the major hispanic group in NYC. Why don't we have a Dominican Day Parade? Or a Mexican Parade?

Both these groups are equally sizable.

guest

SD,

Tu tienes toda la razon. Cuando Jen, "La Chinita", pone algo sobre el desfile ella esta tratando de atraer los comentarios racistas.

Hay mucho racismo aqui en este sitio.

Cogelo suave.

guest

"filth", are you kidding or just channeling Taxi Driver?

guest

Sorry, possessive should have been spelled correctly.

guest

Sorry, LKs shouldn't have been possesive.

guest

Honestly, I don't think anyone cares about how many people were arrested at this parade....whatever keeps me safe at home from the LK's. Your next expose should be on arrests at the Gay Pride parade. Seriously, you have nothing better to write about?

guest

Please stop it, Jen. No more inflammatory Puerto Rican Day posts. Please.

guest

"a scourge on this city", could you be a little more dramatic? arresting people solely because they are supposedly gang affiliated isn't going to help the situation with those individuals or the community as a whole, arrests like that only serve to further isolate a minority community from the police

ed_Extinct

#5:

you have to remember the liberals of this city are notorious flip-floppers—that can never make up their minds.

if the police did very little, like in 2000, these same libs would be screaming for justice. think of this as the exact opposite of the 2000 fiasco—arrest the gangs and filth and start setting examples, it's clear the community leaders are too afriad or too lazy to do it themselves or have asked the police, as usual, do to it for them.

guest

Soooo...gang members should not be arrested? WTF people?! They do illegal activities and are a scourge on this city. Lock 'em up.

Kojak

We appreciate the follow up article Jen, but what exactly does this have to do with the Shake Shack?

Perhaps there is a link between the Parade arrests and Critical Mass. I think you should investigate further.

zodak

While the racists may see that, the point of this entry is that: once again the police were arresting law-abiding Puerto Rican citizens just because they were wearing yellow t-shirts. I'm sure the cops think that this guy is a latin king too.

S.D.

Question, Can a dead horse be beaten any more?

This is getting seriously ridiculous. Here's what the Racist "Guests" will only see:

"police say they stepped in to help a woman who said she was being sexually abused."...

Nuts.