New York City police officers, several in plain clothes, swooped into a demonstration against aggressive police tactics on Tuesday and arrested a protester they appeared to have singled out, pulling her into an unmarked minivan before driving off. Videos of the encounter drew intense criticism on social media, including accusations that the New York police were adopting tactics similar to those used by federal agents during recent protests in Portland, Ore., where some people were pulled into unmarked vans. The Police Department said in a statement that the woman had been taken into custody by officers from the warrant squad in connection with “damaging police cameras during five separate criminal incidents in and around City Hall Park,” an apparent reference to incidents that occurred during the Occupy City Hall protests. The police did not immediately provide details about those incidents. The arrest took place at Second Avenue and East 25th Street in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, according to the Police Department.

Source: New York Times July 29, 2020 03:11 UTC