Quantcast

Video: Cops Mace Revelers at Dominican Day Parade

The website Rhythm and Bleu has posted a series of from-the-hip videos from the Dominican Day Parade on August 8th. Most of the videos, shot in Washington Heights, show revelers crowding the streets, playing music, singing, and grinding together like millstones in a gristmill. It's all good clean fun, but then the cops had to roll up. As an NYPD cruiser and an unmarked cop car slowly make their way through the massive, chanting crowd, two plainclothes officers suddenly exit the vehicle and spray mace at the bystanders, seemingly without warning. This occurs at the 1:38 mark.

A chaotic scene ensues, with glass bottles hurled at the cop car as the crowd disperses. (At the 4:22 mark one man is seen hunched over with a towel over his eyes moaning, "They maced me.") Soon what looks to be a dozen plainclothes officer descend on the area, batons out, and drive off the remaining stragglers. And so the Dominican Day Parade 2010 came to a close. (Also, a pregnant teen was stabbed in the head.) The unidentified man who shot these videos concedes they are edited, but he tells PIX 11 News "what's missing from the clip are only the portions when he had to stop recording, after he says his eyes started burning from the mace."

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

Comments [rss]

  • AngelMarie

    I see I'm a little late to this party. To all you fucking racist pricks, fuck you very much! You prove my point about how people with no lifes and morals turn out to be the biggest idiots. Me, I wanted to just simply wtach the parade when I came across this site. I'm so tired of assholes hidding behind the omputer. A real peron would say it to their face...whatever happens happens though. I'm fucking Black-Dominican-Asian-Native American, so when I come across sights like this about any of my race it hurts and makes me angry. I would love to meet one of you idiots in person so you could say it to me fucking face. But since that can't happen, you little assholes go right along and hide behind a compter you pussies!

  • So, basically, two police officers attacked a rowdy but peaceful crowd with pepper spray, for no good reason, other than the fact that it was a crowd of Latinos. By macing that crowd, the cops actually started a riot from an otherwise peaceful crowd.

    Yes, folks, that is racism, pure and simple - and those two cops should be fired and prosecuted for multiple counts of assault, battery and reckless endangerment.

  • exnyer

    Bloomy will cover for the cops. No bad press for NYC`s finest........the Dominican population.

  • John L

    These cops were inciting a riot by macing people like that.

    I grew up in Washington Heights, two blocks away from where the bucket of cement got thrown on the officer and not too far from where the "Washington Heights Riot" broke out back in the 90s. If these cops don't know they better ask somebody because those Dominicans are ready to start a riot at any given time and I'm glad they are because abuse should be met with resistance, even violent resistance if necessary.

    These people went from singing, dancing and having a good time to throwing bottles at cops because they were provoked by these cops.

    What the hell are they teaching these cops at the Police Academy?

  • potsmoker

    pigs are called pigs for a reason...

    thats some crazy stuff, just jumping out of the car and walking up to a crowd and macing people that close, clearly macing people who arent even aware of any problems or doing anything deserving a close up macing.

    fire him, arrest him, jail him,

    pay out more $$$$$$$ again!!!

    thanks gloomberg your shock troops are doing great,

    ever wonder why cops get buckets of cement thrown at them off rooftops in that hood...

  • ak

    Wow, this comment thread looks like it was pretty much lifted from the NY Post. What's with all the race hate?

  • Billiamsburg

    You must be new here.

  • Guest

    as a representative of "i hate everyone(tm)", i welcome you to the world of pure hatred. scientifically and physically, it requires tensing up the muscles around the heart, also maybe around the solar-plexus for that extra-oomph of hatred, and dumbing down the brain until one can say "aaaarrrrrrghhhh...!!!" or "unga" which ever is more natural for the person.

    and once you've mastered it, you can learn to relax and have total control over your hatred so you can use it whenever, wherever you want to. it's called "enslaving your hatred."

    ps i have no idea what i've written. i've posted some serious comments and usually it takes me a few hours at the least to be my normal self again. so excuse me for letting you become my puke bin. thanks, btw.

  • ak

    At least you're an equal opportunity hater.

  • Guest

    huh? hating just a tiny part of the entire human species is worse than hating the whole entire human species to you?

    i'd say that such people are not hating enough -- i call them amateurs.

  • donewithny

    what barbaric culture was that?nothing but welfare recieving low-lifes who come to this country, specifically washington heights,to milk the system and live like animals.this country is doomed.

  • napalm

    Maybe they should've thrown a bucket of cement down on one of the pigs from the roof....

    Remember the 90s?

  • schizofriendly

    I remember that. And if I am correct, the NYPD was swift and successful in hunting down the wascally wascal somewhere in the Caribbean. What condition do you think his anus is in right now? I'll bet he no longer has one.

  • Ph

    Man that just does not do the NYPD any good PR right there. Just got out of the car and started spraying.

    Real crowd control involves horses. You'd be amazed how well they work in those situations.

  • Boogie Down

    It sure would've sucked if people starting throwing glass bottles at the poor (hypothetical) horses though.

  • dustingrime I

    if you ask me, animals both.

  • schizofriendly

    yes

  • schizofriendly

    ...if the above video is any indication.

    Help me. I'm trapped on Earth along with this shit. And there is nowhere else to go.

  • Radbecca

    Horrific! A real black eye on this city. NYPD could use lessons on parade crowd control from Louisiana police departments... I'm so ashamed.

  • Guest

    ashamed? i didn't know that you took part in the crowd control -- or is the cop in the video an immediate family member of yours?

    in other words, relax. :)

blog comments powered by Disqus

send a tip

tips@gothamist.com