Vlad at the Glass Bead Collective let us know about another video taken during Saturday night's Pandamonium in Williamsburg, where a roving street party (with a panda theme) was deemed too much by police, who tried to clamp down on festivities.
He writes "the basic story here is that after the panda party was broken up, people started assembling on street corners and chanting," which is when the clash started to become more aggressive and violent: "They arrested a young man pictured in the video here by just pulling him out of the crowd, and as far as i heard charged him with inciting a riot as well as resisting arrest." By the way, inciting a riot can be a felony charge.
Another video, taken by the camerawoman, will be released later. It's apparently very shaky, because she was tackled, too. When we called the police to get some more details, there was apparently no "sheet" about the incident. Mysterious!
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Ugh, the whole Pandamonium concept is just so retarded. Are these people 7 years old?
Who cares if it's some stupid gag --- the point is, the constitution gives citizens the GOD_GIVEN RIGHT to assemble PEACEFULLY. As far as I can see, all involved were peaceful except NYPD.
How much longer are we going to keep taking it --- being controlled by cops who tell us what streets we can and can't walk down, where we can stand, what we can or cannot photograph or videotape.
REVOLUTION 2009
Not to mention what we can or can't drink, smoke, etc.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE! TAKE BACK OUR NATION!
DOWN WITH THE PIGS. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING - POKE HIM IN THE EYE!
Panda parades are stupid wastes of time unless there is a clear message behind the action.
If it was just for fun, fine, then why the "reclaim the streets" slogan?
If it was to make a point or further a political goal then just what was it.
I'm going to link to this youtube page and implore everyone to spend 20 minutes listening to how this country is turning to fascism right under our noses right as we vote.
The elections are being stolen and our freedoms will be stolen with them.
Pandas don't stand a chance unless this issue is addressed.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=spoonamore&search_type=&aq=-1&oq=spoonamor
It sure is a good thing that so many cops are standing around in a safe neighborhood on a Saturday night using excessive force to arrest unarmed kids when there are things like, you know, violent crime going on elsewhere in the city.
Tax dollars well spent.
THE REVOLUTION MUST BEGIN HERE IN NEW YORK.
WE HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE. WE NEED TO GET ORGANIZ-IZED.
I AM SERIOUS.
REVOLUTION 2009
The problem I have with THIS action is that it involved fringe vandalism and other transgressions. It's great to challenge an unjust law or to stand up for a denied right, but you have to do it in a way that you support the rule of JUST LAWS. You can break good laws to protest the bad ones. I have it on good authority that at the BEGINNING of the Williamsburg leg of this thing, property was damaged, traffic was obstructed and so on. That undermines your integrity, it says I matter and YOU don't.
You "can't" break good laws to protest the bad laws..and expect to be taken seriously.
There was another roving parade party that same night. It was a ton of fun and nobody got arrested. Tons of Fire spinning and LSD though.
@QM: It was called kaleidoscope or something along those lines if I'm not mistaken (if its the one you're talking about). It was one of those weird things of a friend's friend that I almost went to. Apparently, the Panda people were supposed to meet up with this multi-color dressed group.
that would've been pretty badass. You definitely should have went though, it was tons of fun.
"It sure is a good thing that so many cops are standing around in a safe neighborhood on a Saturday night using excessive force to arrest unarmed kids when there are things like, you know, violent crime going on elsewhere in the city.
Tax dollars well spent."
Yeah, why aren't those cops roughing up the non-white non-"kids" in an unsafe neighborhood? Huh? Huh?
Seriously, do you realize how that last comment sounds to anyone who doesn't consider grown-assed adults parading the streets in a costume to be a "kid"?
Also, where exactly do you get the idea that Williamsburg is "safe"? I get the strong impression you base your opinions about safety based upon the color of the faces walking around you.
Best advice? Grow up.
It's really starting to seem like they organized the whole thing as almost, like, bait for "bad cop" videos. I mean, if the police hadn't shown up, they'd have gotten their one Gothamist post and everyone would have promptly forgotten about them. But instead, all these "SHOCKING POLICE VIDEOS!!" are being leaked one by one, prolonging their time in the spotlight.
sigh. just another group of lonely new yorkers crying out for attention.
NO BALLS NO GLORY
can we all agree that dressing as pandas & having a party in the street is silly & actually focus on the fact that the nypd was there for one reason only: to be pigs & arrest & brutalize people.
Was anybody really brutalized? I just see a bunch of dipshits chanting for no particular cause, creating a ruckus, and a couple of cops getting nervous and arresting people randomly.
Who knows what that kid had been saying or what his interactions with the cops had been before this video clip starts?
This crowd should put their energy and right to assemble and put it towards some thing more worthwhile.
this police m en a trully bored to get some action jumping at a fuckn hipster panda! Get some real criminals you out of context "riot controlers"!
To Grand (13) -- leave it to douchbags like you to ALWAYS bring race into whatever issue is at hand.
The comment you took issue with was absolutely valid. From what I've read, the pandas were a THREAT TO NO ONE. Kinda silly, sure. But something the cops needed to get all aggro with? No. And no, I do not consider someone who simply has a face a different color than mine to be a threat. And I would bet catatonia does not either.
It is you, my friend, who needs to grow up.
And Grand, what's more, catatonia was actually making a plea for cops to devote more time and money to patrolling areas that are under-patrolled, and thus less safe. Of course, you twist this into a racist remark. Though I would bet everything that you are among those who have bitched -- justifiably -- about the police devoting too much manpower to gentrifying areas, at the expense of neighborhoods that really need it.
Am I wrong? You know I am not.
Is it beginning to dawn on you how much of an incoherent clown you are?
Perhaps the cops get aggro because they are trying to work on preventing gang violence and machete attacks while a bunch of stupid kids are dressed like pandas and causing a disturbance.
You have to expect cops to act like this. Who do you think cops are? They're most likely a bunch of regular people from the outer boroughs of New York where this type of behavior (read: acting like entitled pseudo artists fools) is considered a disturbance and inappropriate. Try pulling a panda march in Gravesend or Staten Island and see what happens. Just because you feel strongly for this cause (in this case acting like pandas), don't expect the majority of people to let it slide.
Now if there was a permit granted for this march and everyone actually followed the appropriate procedure, then I can understand the outrage over cops arresting a bunch of people. But if you're going to defend your constitutional rights by breaking the law in a residential neighborhood, then expect the cops to come down on you.
New Yorkers are generally apathetic when it comes to letting people's freak flags fly. However the general understanding is that it should not intrude on other people. Dress like Pandas wherever you want, but if you're holding up traffic and inconveniencing other people, you have to expect a negative reaction.
"You have to expect cops to act like this"
No I don't.
Take a hint : pandas don't swing machetes!
case closed!