Quantcast

Councilman Jumaane Williams Arrested During Argument With Cops At West Indian Day Parade

2011_08_williamsfoy.jpg
City Councilman Jumaane Williams (left) and Public Advocate de Blasio's Community Affairs Director Kirsten Foy (NBC New York)

City Councilman Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) and Kirsten Foy, Public Advocate de Blasio's Community Affairs Director, were arrested this afternoon after the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn. NBC New York reports that based on witness accounts, "the confusion began when Williams and...Foy...attempted to exit the parade route to attend a luncheon at the Brooklyn Museum. After passing through an initial police checkpoint, Williams and his group were blocked by three police officers from exiting the route." And de Blasio said that Foy was thrown to the ground by cops.

Williams and Foy were headed to a lunch at the Brooklyn Museum. The Post's police sources claim the pair "were detained for walking through a frozen zone for emergency personnel only and were detained only until their identities were confirmed." But de Blasio think that's BS, "It’s outrageous. They had their IDs. It’s unacceptable that this had happened." And Capital New York's Azi Paybarah got an account from Williams' spokesman Stefan Ringel:

Williams and Foy and several others city employees were blocked by a police officer from entering the parade route near the Brooklyn Library, on Eastern Parkway. The officer said the area was "restricted" and that no "civilians" were permitted there.

Williams and Foy then identified themselves and Williams showed his city-issued ID identifying him as a member of the City Council. The office still refused to let them pass. Williams called a police chief to explain the situation.

At that time, the entourage was surrounded by 15 to 25 police officers. At some point, there was a physical altercation, with Foy being tripped and ending up on the ground. (Ringel, who was present, insists neither Williams nor Foy initiated any physical contact with the officers.)

The men were taken away but ultimately released without being charged with anything.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said, “A crowd formed and an unknown individual punched a police captain on the scene" and then "were brought across the street and detained there until their identities were established, and then released." But de Blasio told the Post, "I fear that police may have looked at Jumaane, who is a young man with dreadlocks, and not beleived he is a Council member." He added to the NY Times, "It’s broad daylight, they get thrown to the ground, they both get arrested. If that’s what happens to an elected official and a senior appointee, imagine what happens to a general member of the public."

The NYPD is investigating the incident. Mayor Bloomberg nor City Council Speaker Quinn commented. Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries issued a statement, “The unjustified arrest and treatment of Councilman Jumaane Williams is further evidence of the siege mentality the NYPD has unleashed against black men in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Ray Kelly should apologize forthwith and make sure all responsible officers are strongly disciplined. Mayor Bloomberg should end the out of control stop and frisk practices of the NYPD immediately. The procedure unnecessarily targets law-abiding citizens and poisons the relationship between the black community and the police. Enough is enough.'"

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Jen Chung in on September 5, 2011 8:35 PM

Comments [rss]

  • For those of you on both sides of this issue but especially for those who want to justify the treatment of Councilman Williams & Comm. Affairs Dir. Foy because a Police Captain was punched in the face:  What are the chances that the very same officers that through Mr. Foy to the ground & handcuffed he & Mr. Williams for being in a restricted area, chose not to arrest the 3rd man that punched a Police Captain in the face? Accordingly the Police are suggesting that 2 Public Officials in a restricted area were more important than a 3rd individual assaulting a Police Captain. Someone appears to be lying here and logic gives us a huge clue. Even if there were a "mystery puncher", this matter could & should have been handled in a much more curteous manner - a call to a supervisor (or the Captain present) or to a known Public Official could have straigtened it out in minutes. In any event detaining them for more than 30 mins. after they presented their ID's can be considered nothing but harrassment.
  • Harassment especially of minorities is what NYPD does so well.
  • Jukwa
    Seems like the pigs of the NYPD have not learned from their KARMIC RETURNS of 911, when their ranks were partially cleansed of the  racist, sadistic, homosexual, dirty and deadly policemen, who like to shoot Black people UNPROVOKED with more bullets than it would take to stop an elephant, and who sadistically enjoy shoving plunger up the rectum of
    INNOCENT Black people.

    Keep it up, govement thugs; and more karma will be on the way, hopefully to fix the nasty NYPD once and for all.
  • Guest
    ???
  • Jukwa
    Remember 911?
    It was partially an act of karma for the overabundance of lying, violence-loving & racist & murderous criminals of the NYPD
  • Jukwa
    NYPD bigots at it again, we see?
  • Jukwa
    Seems like the pigs of the NYPD have not learned from their KARMIC RETURNS of 911, when their ranks were partially cleansed of the racist, sadistic, homosexual, dirty and deadly policemen, who like to shoot Black people UNPROVOKED with more bullets than it would take to stop and elephant, and who sadistically enjoy shoving plunger up the rectum of INNOCENT Black people.

    Keep it up, govement thugs; and you will surely earn more karmic returns, hopefully to fix the nasty, racist NYPD once and for all.
  • Im not sure what happened and I didnt read the article but the title think someone else is playing the race card again then again I dont know the story and I know racism still happens .For some reason people always feel they are victim of racism in this kind of situation . so old moving on
  • Jukwa
    Maybe if the 'race card' was invented and perpetuated FOR CENTURIES by the forces of european evils, then there wouldn't be a habit of using said card to this day?
  • Perry
    Is it me, or maybe the cops were just wrong.  Maybe the councilman got loud and pissed.  Maybe shit got out of hand.  Let's be real about this.  The WIDP is a shitshow...has been for years.  The cops are a little fired up because of this.  They have a job to do, keep peace.  Unfortunately, cops in this city lack manners.  If I was a councilman and some "angry to get this shitty detail" cop got in my face while I was doing something I was suppose to be allowed to do, tempers might flare.  The issue really is, once the cops found out who this guy was, they should have let him through.  Cops in this town are taught that they are NEVER wrong about anything.  That's the part of their training that really needs to change.
  • It is because Ray Kelly will never admit that anyone in his Nazi brigade can ever do wrong.
  • Since when does a cop (who is nothing more than a city worker) have pull over an elected NYC official? If the NYPD did this to Bloomberg or Quinn, the cops would be looking for a new job today.
  • Gadea
    Next time call Bloomberg & Quinn, instead of 9/11,
    see how that works out for you.
  • That did not even make any sense.
  • Gadea
    The people that complain the most about the NYPD are the people that need the NYPD the most.
    There neighborhoods would look like war zones if it weren't for the NYPD.
  • Soo the people that need the NYPD the most should not complain when they are bullied by the same NYPD?
  • Gadea
    The people in the  hood, are mugged, robbed, assaulted,
    intimidated, pushed around, murdered, shot down, killed, 
    slaughtered by other People in The Hood, on a regular basis.
    So if an NYPD officer makes a mistake, they should just grin and
    bear it, unless they are prepared to have the NYPD withdraw
    from their neighborhoods and leave them to fight it out among
    themselves.
  • So an elected official, if he is black, is from "the hood". Gotcha. (Fucking idiot)
  • canofpeas
    There were 48 people shot this weekend, including 2 cops, mostly in Brooklyn and mostly around the time of the parade.  I'm not surprised NYPD wasn't taking shit from anyone in the vicinity.
  • Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv
    There's video.
  • randomtransplant
    I remember seeing a white-hared old man in a tweed jacket repeatedly run over (trampled) by a horse-cop during a peace protest until he just stopped trying to run away. A couple blocks from the U.N.

    Its about nine or ten years later. Not a damn thing has changed.  

    If you want respect, stop encouraging thugs amoungst your ranks and start to earn it. Take a page from Paris, London and LA - the bad apples in the force often lead to more harm against the force than any private citizen could ever hope to.
  • In my mind, the Councilman and the Public Advocate's senior aide's account is more credible than the cops'.

    "Someone punched the captain in the face"???  C'mon people.  That totally sound like HORSE SHIT.
  • proudliberal1947
    The cops were there to insight NOT help, what more proof do you need,this was calculated and planned. Why didn't they accept the Councilman's ID, (oops a Black man with dread locks hmm), a call to their BOSS and they still FAIL to allow the Council man in, no these RACIST pigs new it was going down and they had to stall until it happened, to justify their abuses
  • whiteiris
    I'm surprised anyone would want to be a cop in this or any city. Screams of racism at every turn from race baiters Sharpton, Leticia James etc along with white guilt-ridden liberals looking for votes is disgraceful. Where are they when violence breaks out ie the Parade and the Crown Heights shooting last night for example where 2 cops were wounded? Why is it that people from war torn communist countries can live productive lives but minorities are always given a pass by liberals cause they're black.
  • petey2
    The area was closed to civilians. He was a civilian, therefore the area was closed to him.
  • total lie about the police captain getting punched too, hope some reporter somewhere follows up on that canard...
  • aspiringrapper
    There's usually more than one side to any story & I'm sure we'll hear more about this one in the hours & days ahead.  The NYPD of late is not known for it's discretion, thoughtful analysis or good behavior, crowds at this particular parade are notoriously problematic & politicians (of any color) often think they are above the little things like adhering to concepts such as "emergency exit only." Fault can be found on all sides.
  • nomadnewyork
    Yes, great points. The only flaw is that they DID have permission to use that exit.
  • aspiringrapper
    If you're sure about that, that's especially unfortunate.  It's not specifically mentioned in the article, but I guess logically, if you had clearance to get in one end, you have clearance to get out the other.  An official lanyard, issued the day of the event, which neither of them appear to be wearing, given solely to people who should be authorized to come & go as needed, certainly wouldn't have hurt the situation.
  • SFNY
    According to the OP, "' After passing through an initial police checkpoint, Williams and his group were blocked by three police officers from exiting the route.'"  

    So yes, if someone got into the zone without incident, that same someone should be able to get back out without incident.  For events like this, it's usually "just" an official ID that's used, not a lanyard (that takes too much advance coordination/organization).
  • Oh my! A reasoned response! It seems entirely likely to me that the cops acted prejudicially and the councilaman acted arrogant and irrationally, which inflamed the response.
  • J_Temperance
    Those two look like bone thugs and harmony, of course they got harassed by the NYPD.
  • JackBrat72
    Geez, I dunno-  If the Police ask me to stop and turn around because the sidewalk is closed. . . I stop, turn around and leave because the Police have asked me not to proceed any further. 

    I guess I'm just too white- and don't understand the intricacies of the black cultural trait of confronting the Po-lice-es. . . especially during an event as culturally-charged as the West Indian Day Parade. . .Mon! 
  • nomadnewyork
    Yeah, that makes sense. They get explicit permission to go through the zone, walk over there, show their id and get arrested. Stupid of them.
  • GrahamCracked
    Hmmmm if New York is so rough for black folks, why don't they just get out?  If they don't like the stop and frisk policies - then maybe they should consider a new place to live.
  • ixvnyc
    Go back to 1936, Adolf.
  • GrahamCracked
    Cute attempt at branding me as a Nazi, but it doesn't quite work... Jews weren't killing each other in the streets in the 1920's and 1930's; they weren't negatively impacting the society they lived in.

    People of color, on the other hand have the distinction of being so self-loathing that the leading cause of death for a young person of color 12-19 years old is homicide. From 1975 to 2010 people of color represented 13 percent of the population. This 13 percent committed over 52 percent of the nation’s homicides. This 13 percent also accounted for 76 percent of other felony crime. In 2010 94 percent of black homicide victims were killed by other black people. If anyone is acting like Hitler it would be the black people who shoot other black people... let's not forget Hitler was a Jew.

    So just maybe if black folks would stop playing the race card and screaming victim every time they get stopped by an officer and get rid of the bad attitudes, police brutality would be much less likely.
    Realize that it has taken a good 30 or 40 years to build this horrible reputation and that is why the police act the way that they do toward us (yes, us - I am mixed race). It will likely take another 30 or 40 years to change it - but we have no one to blame but ourselves. Every time some stupid mother opens her mouth on television with a statement like "he was a good kid, he didn't do nothing wrong" we are showing society that we as a people don't have any ethics and don't know the first thing about living peacefully in a society with other people.
  • Allan O'Hare
    ...and some would claim that open racism is dead in this country.
  • GrahamCracked
    that almost works - except I am mixed race.  Try again
  • KamJos
    Doesn't stop you from being racist....
  • GrahamCracked
    Except, I am not being racist - I am speaking out as someone who is part of that race against the institutionalized self-loathing that has become a part of the racial identity.  That self-loathing is leading our children to kill one another in the streets more so than any other cultural group.  

    Put your head in the sand if you'd like, but as a father, I am disgusted by this epidemic. I am equally disgusted by the actions of the parents who show themselves in the media claiming their child was a saint in spite of the rap sheets and, usually, the circumstances of their death.

    This particular situation is odious since this egotistical and unethical councilperson from the sharpton-school of race-bating has yet to adequately address the current state of affairs in his sh!t-hole district.

    The funny thing is, I am not racist as long as I don't speak out critically against anyone who is more ghetto than I am - so what I'd really like to know is when did we, as people of color, adopt ghetto-mentaity as our "official" paradigm?  And when did critical analysis of our internalized self-loathing become the basis for being a racist?  Telling the truth has never really been popular in our culture, and look how far that has gotten us.
  • LtWorf
    That's a cop out. It's better to change the situation for the better than to just leave.
  • GrahamCracked
    I am sure there was no arrogance on the part of this councilperson.
  • Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv
    We know what bloombag and kelly will say, I'm interested in what Quinn will say about this?
  • canofpeas
    Quinn gave Bloomberg his third term, why should she be out of step with Humpty and Dumpty?
  • LocallyRespected
    So how did everyone else get into the luncheon without getting arrested? Oh yeah they probably found a better way in. Instead of through an area designated for emergency personel guarded by ansty cops waiting for the inevitable drama to pop-off na mean son? Bumbaclot Councilmon, go
    around ya idiot!
  • LocallyRespected
    So how did everyone else get into the museum without getting arrested? Oh yeah... they probably used common sense and found a better way in, besides through an area designated for emergency personel guarded by antsy cops waiting for shit to pop off. Bumbaclot Councilmon, go around ya idiot!
  • rlb8031
    The problem was that they were in a frozen zone. What the police who detained them failed to address was that the only way for them have gotten into that zone WAS TO BE PERMITTED TO ENTER BY THE POLICE! This was not an area where someone could have run through the parade and then climbed over or under a baracade. But instead of taking "presence in zone means another cop has permitted entry + ID which would have explained presence in zone= quick radio to boss to advise presence of councilman and clear further entry" the cop went all "respect ma authoritay"
  • bggb
    Yes, it's the victim's fault. Good call.
  • PhotoHarris
    NYC's well trained police screw up yet again. This one is inexcusable. It's because we have a racist police force. The cops involved should be fired. That's not going to happen, though.
  • person694
    did they screw up by letting over 45 people get shot.....one of their own getting shot....  dealing with the animals that think they are back on the islands with no laws........oh i forgot all this stuff happens at all the other parades...sorry...and PhotoHarris....were you there? do u know exactly how the so called "councilman" acted.......do you know that those cops have been dealing with straight animals all night and day and dodging bullets, breaking up fights.......as lightsays said "most obnoxious public event in the history of the planet.".....
  • person694
    the "councilmen" should be more concerned on why there was 43 people shot this weekend and shots fired at police sunday night and monday.....oh and a police officer shot!!!!!!!  HOW ABOUT FIXING THE PROBLEM OF WHY SOME COPS MIGHT BE UNEASY IN THIS HORROR PARADE
  • randomtransplant
    Well, we can start with their ineffectual crowd control and devotion to nonsensical profiling practices.
  • Just cancel this piece of shit parade. Festival of thugs.
    I was in the area and saw a bunch of guys harrassing a lone cop who happened to be white... This is like Rikers Island day out.
  • nolastname
    Seems like there may not be a parade next year. Good work, just give Bloomie an excuse to stop the free fun for everyone.
  • antimisogynycrusader
    NYPD should get a free pass on this one - after all, don't they stop and frisk young black men with dreads everyday on a regular basis? Old habits die hard....
  • Life is so lonely .I am a rich and single man at present .I need a woman who can love me back .I also uploaded my hot photos on  Affl·uent·Sin·gle.com  under the name of jeff1098..It’s the largest and best club for seeking CEOs, pro athletes, doctors, lawyers, investors, entrepreneurs, beauty queens, fitness models, and Hollywood celebrities.Please Check it out!I’m serious.
  • You got any free iPads lonely boy?
  • lightstays
    Not that it condones their behavior at all, but the cops could possibly have been feeling a little overstressed after being assigned to what is possibly the most obnoxious public event in the history of the planet.
  • bggb
    boohoo.

    They should retire to a small town somewhere else then.
  • It's good to be sympathetic to the stress police feel.  But in the long-run, either the brass have to do something about it (which I'd support - I'd pay more taxes for better policing) and/or the individual cops need to look for another line of work. Probably both.
  • edgie168
    So.. on the scale of Thanksgiving Day Parade to Puerto Rican Day Parade, where does this one rank? :D
  • lightstays
    All three kind of send the message that to be American means you can be loud as hell, presume that everyone within a ten-block radius want to hear you be loud as hell, and leave a river of garbage behind you after you finish your celebration.
  • edgie168
    Ah, but which ones have a traditional history of violent incidents?
  • Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv
    Was the unidentified person named "Vianne Delgado"?
  • splicernyc
    I'm sure they'll be rounding up the usual suspects to find who "punched a police captain". They'll probably pick up some drunken bum, get him to confess and then promise him a lighter sentence if he'll finger the people in a particular set of photographs.
  • Young man, black, with dredlocks.

    Might as well have "Stop, question and frisk me" tattooed on his forehead.

    I mean, what are the cops supposed to do? Ignore the profile? Get real.
  • randomtransplant
    That "profile" belongs to the man who won the majority of votes in his district.

    Are you saying a black man can't wear dreadlocks? 

    YOUR BALD!! HAHAHAHA
  • LtWorf
    Dude, if you're going to profile people, do it correctly. Only stop and frisk men with dredlocks when searching for weed.
  • Those are corn rows, dreadlocks look very different.
  • If a police officer is supposed to look down the barrel of a gun and decide between corn rows and dreadlocks, we are all in a lot of trouble as a society. NYPD will rountinely stop , question , and frisk those who are black. Those who have dreadlocks jump to the top of the list. But if the NYPD has to differnetiate between dreadlocks and cornrows, we are inviting chaos to the streets of NYC. There is no way that the NYPD, without thousands of hours of training( all on overtime , I might add) can differnetiate between dreadlocks and cornrows.

    I call on our Mayor, our Police Commisioner, and our city council (especially those members from Staten Island) to investigate the difference between corn rows and dreadlocks, and the impact those differences might have on a Post-9/11 NYC.
  • This isn't rocket science, most cops will profile a guy with a scraggly Grizzly-Adams-esque beard over a guy with a goatee. Corn-rows are generally well-coiffed, while dreadlocks are long clumps that look like they haven't been washed in years (and they usually haven't been). As I said, important little detail.
  • KamJos
    What? You obviously aren't familiar with dreadlocks. Funny how you talk so authoritatively about them. Perhaps you might want to read up on them.
  • birdtird
    really, you get real
  • I'm assuming he being sarcastic...
  • Do you know how many people that "profile" covered today? Were they all taken down for stop and frisk? Get real.
  • nomadnewyork
    I think that comment is satirical...If it isn't, I would have to laugh at it anyway.
  • No , not enough time or manpower for that. They go for those with dreds first. Then,  angry looking bald guys with goatees. This incident was a twofer.
  • Considering the event, and as someone who lives here (and lives a block from one of the random acts of gun violence that happened DURING THE PARADE), I find it a little too simplified to play the race card. Ummm... there were a lot of black men around, no? Why didn't they all get arrested  if that's the only reason? 

    By no means am I quick to defend NYPD. The behavior and typical mentality is frightening to a non-badge wearing New Yorker (though having lived here and DC, I have much more disdain for their police force). They do seem to have a tendency to subdue people with unnecessary force too often. But it does no one any good to play the stupid race card until it is determined what exactly happened. Maybe it was an ego vs ego situation. Who knows?
  • Yeah, since there are lots of rowdies and criminals at the event, therefore people at the event are almost all rowdies and criminals.  Sure, makes sense.  Sure.
  • Spirit of 76
    "Ummm... there were a lot of black men around, no? Why didn't they all get arrested  if that's the only reason?"

    It wasn't the only reason. They were supposedly walking through a "frozen zone." But they probably didn't believe his ID was genuine. It wouldn't be the first time NYPD officers pulled this kind of garbage, if true. They did it to one of their own police chiefs because he was black.

    http://gothamist.com/2008/05/1...

    And we won't get into the all too common accounts of black, off-duty NYPD officers who claim they were mistreated by on-duty white cops.
  • Trust me, I'm not denying or trying to defend NYPD. I know it was a "frozen zone" and obviously someone effed up the chain of communication. I just prefer to be skeptical when people are quick to fill in every gap with platitudes, certainties they have no certainty of, etc. Given the context, AND the violence going on all weekend, it weakens the rightful critiques of the NYPD if people are quick to lean on assumptions and generalities in every instance.
  • nomadnewyork
    Wow, of all the people mess with! Dumb on the part of the cops.
  • Dumb is what they do so well.
  • billyjack55
    You make it sound as if that councilman is important.  Stop.
  • So only white council members are important? Go back to Mississippi.
  • castellammare
    Let's reply to everybody twice and add an insult. Or not, you wouldn't want to stoop to their level now, would you?
  • Please go away from me you troll.
  • He is important. He is an elected representative of the people. Unless that doesn't matter to you.....
  • ONE_LESS_FIXED_GEAR
    Well, I guess we'll see where it goes.  My guess is not too far.
  • nomadnewyork
    True, it's just a councilman. There will be no ramifications. None. <grin></grin>
  • Yeah, he's just an elected official representing the citizens; a total nobody compared to our feudal elite!  Wait, what.
  • bobbyjfromtheuk12
    New York City Cops- Not Too Smart. The problem is in the recruiting stage, it's no secret that if you stand out as having above average intelligence the NYPD doesn't want you. Basically they want drones who follow orders- The result? Cops are raping civilians, murdering people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now assulting our elected officials. Luke_1 is on the money- We are living in a police state, policed by a force who mostly have IQ's in the double digits. And god help you if you don't happen to be white.
  • Joe
    god help you if you're black? god help you EVEN MORE if you're working class, poor white. no 'connections', no affirmative action, no 'advocates'...LOL. this is 2011,boss, not 1959. Get with the program. Councilman Dreadlocks will have nice lawsuit and federal civil rights charges soon enough.

    and could you be a cop in a ultra-violent urban setting? When I was growing up, the city was averaging THOUSANDS of murders a year, not 400-500.
  • Amber
    aw, poor whitey. sorry your life is SO hard!
  • randomtransplant
    "When I was growing up, the city was averaging THOUSANDS of murders a year, not 400-500."
    Yeah, and when people stopped listening to trash like you the murder rate started to drop.
  • We got your blanket statement the first time. Go back to Chapter 2 of Internet for Dummies.
  • bobbyjfromtheuk12
    That's your contribution to this forum? Maybe you should go back chapter one of Life for Dummies. Why even take 30 seconds of your life to post that? Keep hiding behind your computer you  pussy.
  • Guest
    You call him a pussy from behind your keyboard and you say that he is hiding behind his? What a joke.
  • Compared to what? Your contributions?

    "You sir are a fu*king moron"
    "if you stand out as having above average intelligence the NYPD doesn't want you. " x 2
    "New"
    "Keep hiding behind your computer you  pussy."

    Deep thinking and internet savvy at its finest.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Home

send a tip

tips@gothamist.com

all our cities
one convenient app

available on the iPhone AppStore

about

staff / advertising / contact / newsmap

newsmap

newsmap