Councilman Jumaane Williams Pushed and Shoved by NYPD

Councilman Jumaane Williams had another run in with the police earlier this week at an Occupy Wall Street anniversary rally. Williams, whose 45th district covers portions of Ditmas Park, was pushed and shoved by police while attending the rally as an observer. Williams enters the scene in the above video at about 2:40 (warning, some of the language in the video is NSFW).

Gothamist reports:

Officers had moved into the park shortly before midnight to make an arrest, and Williams was standing on a bench observing when a group of protesters and police spilled over in his direction. Two hour earlier, approximately two dozen riot police and a dozen white shirt officers had marched through the park in a nearly-wordless show of force—their only order was for protesters to stop standing on the benches. But this order was issued before Williams’s arrival, and it’s doubtful he knew about it. (He arrived at 11:45 p.m.)

“Nobody is helping New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams make his point about the need to reform the NYPD more than the NYPD,” wrote City & State. “It’s sad to think that Williams has to be the repeated subject of mistreatment to get his point heard about stop-and-frisk, which he says unfairly targets minorities, but at least Williams can take consolation that now his message is being broadcast loud and clear”

Williams’ office issued a statement saying that he “was neither arrested nor injured during the incident. Council Member Williams will continue to work with the NYPD and protesters to ensure both the protection of First Amendment rights and the safety and security of our city.”

This is not the first time Williams has had a run in with the police. Williams was infamously arrested at last year’s West Indian Day Parade.