Police Rush West Village Protesters, Local Pols Speak Out

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Outdoor diners watched on Saturday night as police rushed protesters and arrested many after raiding an art protest in nearby Washington Square Park.

Videos posted to social media from the scene on Hudson Street near 10th Avenue shows an intense standoff between protesters and police, before officers charge across the street towards the demonstrators.

This was before they rushed us pic.twitter.com/kfaLHamX1W
— Rebecca Fishbein (@bfishbfish) September 27, 2020

The NYPD sent a statement to Patch about the incident on Saturday.

"In response to numerous noise complaints from area residents, the NYPD responded to Washington Square Park. After multiple warnings regarding loud music went unaddressed, officers gave the individual playing music a summons to address the condition," the NYPD wrote.

"Following, a group of roughly 150 demonstrators attempted to force their way to the 6th Precinct but were stopped by security on the precinct block. They moved to Hudson Street and blocked traffic. After multiple warnings to clear the sidewalk, officers took 12 individuals into custody and they were given desk appearance tickets."

Here’s a video I took before they rushed. We were just struck by how many cops there were (for what?) and so we stared recoding. This is so clearly not a protest.... just mostly nosey New Yorkers on a Sat night in the West Village.

I’m disturbed by how few officers are masked. pic.twitter.com/TLfcpe7Lx6
— Molly Dillon (@mollyd522) September 27, 2020

An electronic message played seconds before police rushed towards the protesters, "Please be advised that pedestrians are not permitted to walk in the street or roadway."

The altercation between the officers and protesters took place only steps away from the West Village's 6th Precinct.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who represents Lower Manhattan, spoke out Saturday night about the incident.

"My office is in contact with the NYPD about the use of force on New Yorkers and 10th and Hudson tonight," Hoylman wrote in a tweet. "But we're exhausted of seeing video after video, and hearing from constituents in person, of inexplicable escalations that undermine an already fragile trust."

Hoylman followed up his tweet with a joint statement Sunday evening alongside local Assembly Member Deborah Glick:

"Last night, bystanders and protesters in our districts in Greenwich Village were charged and pushed to the ground in a disturbing escalation of force by NYPD officers, which was unwarranted and unacceptable. The melee also appears to have cost local struggling businesses many customers, including the Cowgirl restaurant, at a time when they can least afford it," the statement read.

The incident in the West Village comes in the same month in which NYPD officers have clashed multiple times with protesters in Times Square.