Out of all of the arrests at Occupy Wall Street, the arrest of Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, perhaps, brought out the most opportunistic of folks.
As NBC-4 reported, Rodriguez, who represents upper Manhattan, said he showed up at the park early in the morning to watch the evacuation and to make sure rights were not being violated. But he said he suddenly found his own rights getting violated just two blocks outside the park.
Councilman Jumaane Williams said he witnessed his colleague’s arrest, and says he saw the councilman bleeding on his forehead before being led off by police.
Video of his arrest confirms this, but Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that to the best of his knowledge, Rodriguez has not claimed to be injured.
And right after Rodriguez’s arrest, what should happen but this…
So Rodriguez’s arrest was good for their face time, but not for their cause? Do they not know that they are in office because of us, and they work for We The People?!
According to court documents, Rodriguez refused to obey the orders of police who had blocked off a path he was trying to take at Maiden Lane and Broadway just before 2 a.m.
Rodriguez said he came down to the park area after hearing about the raid to show his support for the movement.
“I want to get through. I have to get through,” he allegedly told a female police officer who had told him the street was blocked off.
“I can, I’m going through,” he allegedly insisted before trying to break through interlocking barriers.
Court papers also say he nearly knocked over the female officer who instructed him to turn around.
Then, according to prosecutors, another officer said the roadway was “blocked off for a reason” as he continued to try to get through the blocked off street by walking down the middle of it.
Fellow council member Letitia James and State Senator Adriano Espaillat were by his side after the arrest.
Rodriguez, through his attorney Andrew Stoll, denied all charges.
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