Saturday, September 06, 2008
Gathering After the Donut Social Turns Violent with 4 Arrests in Tompkins Square Park ...
After the "Donut Social" concert and protest at the corner of 5th st. and 1st Avenue this evening some of those who had attended the social journeyed to Tompkins Square Park with "Leftover Crack "lead singer Scott Sturgeon to continue the music with a more intimate acoustic version of the donut concert . No permit was necessary for this sort of gathering and singing .
For some reason--we did hear that the arrest may have had something to do with Sturgeon having hurled donuts at the cops earlier at the Donut Social--police broke-up the gathering and arrested Sturgeon at 8:45 pm . Members of the gathering attempted to prevent the police cruiser carrying Sturgeon from leaving the park. The mini-riot that ensued resulted in 3 more individuals being arrested .
We will soon have the full story here at NMNL of what happened Friday afternoon and evening beginning with Mr. Penley's and Mr. Wade's day in federal court , the " Donut Social" itself and all that followed in TSP as well as during the return to the 9th precinct on 5th street to ptotest the arrests . .
FOR THE COMPLETE STORY SEE THE FOLLOWING POST :
http://neithermorenorless.blogspot.com/2008/09/donut-social-4-arrests-in-tompkins.html
http://neithermorenorless.blogspot.com/2008/09/donut-social-4-arrests-in-tompkins.html
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Wasting donuts when they're are cops starving in China? Maybe he deserves the "Big House"
# posted by 
: 9:20 AM
: 9:20 AM
Thanks for the news and the pics. I was supposed to have attended. I would probably have gotten arrested along with my friend Scott. I have a lengthy criminal record which im not proud of but i was notorious for my brand of mischef back in the day....on the L.E.S.I guess im lucky that i didnt go. I will get in touch with my pals at c-squat and find out what The Stza's status is. Nice blog!
# posted by : 2:16 PM
: 2:16 PM
All this fuss was over a few donuts allegedly tossed in the direction of CO Ferguson. the real story here is that Kops have been following and fucking with Leftover Crack, often following them and closing down clubs and other venues where they have been playing in an effort to prevent them from getting booked anywhere. (By the way, officers, you have FAILED to accomplish this!!)
Only when Leftover Crack was set to play TSP on August 3 did the NYPD suddenly feel the need to restrict the sound level of their show, conveniently ignoring the much higher decibel levels enjoyed by a Christian rock group and a performance by Theater for The New City, both a week after the Leftover Crack show, and by the HOWL Festival playing TSP this weekend. (You KNOW that the NFL-sponsored concert in Columbus Circle a few days ago wasn't restricted to 70db -- try 7,000 decibels!)
The NYPD knows that applying force and obstructions to freedom of expression in our neighborhood results in conflicts, violence and lawsuits. One can only wonder why this is the route the NYPD has chosen to take.
The few old-timers left at the ninth precinct know better from their experiences here that this is an unwinnable strategy -- they would serve their superiors well by impressing upon them the wisdom of working in harmony with the creative and activist community on the Lower East Side rather than childishly fucking with them.
NO ONE benefits from the sort of shit that went down last night, least of all the NYPD, who will end up being sued after the charges against those arrested are dismissed.
To NYPD members reading this blog: It has taken almost 20 years since the police riots of 1988-1991 for the neighborhood to have a somewhat peaceful relationship with cops again -- do you really want to open up the same old can of worms and start the same shit all over again? Think about it....
Only when Leftover Crack was set to play TSP on August 3 did the NYPD suddenly feel the need to restrict the sound level of their show, conveniently ignoring the much higher decibel levels enjoyed by a Christian rock group and a performance by Theater for The New City, both a week after the Leftover Crack show, and by the HOWL Festival playing TSP this weekend. (You KNOW that the NFL-sponsored concert in Columbus Circle a few days ago wasn't restricted to 70db -- try 7,000 decibels!)
The NYPD knows that applying force and obstructions to freedom of expression in our neighborhood results in conflicts, violence and lawsuits. One can only wonder why this is the route the NYPD has chosen to take.
The few old-timers left at the ninth precinct know better from their experiences here that this is an unwinnable strategy -- they would serve their superiors well by impressing upon them the wisdom of working in harmony with the creative and activist community on the Lower East Side rather than childishly fucking with them.
NO ONE benefits from the sort of shit that went down last night, least of all the NYPD, who will end up being sued after the charges against those arrested are dismissed.
To NYPD members reading this blog: It has taken almost 20 years since the police riots of 1988-1991 for the neighborhood to have a somewhat peaceful relationship with cops again -- do you really want to open up the same old can of worms and start the same shit all over again? Think about it....
# posted by : 3:57 PM
: 3:57 PM
Getting arrested is a positive career move for many music acts. Perhaps The Stza should take his lemons :-( and make lemonade :)
# posted by : 5:47 PM
: 5:47 PM
Arrested in Tompkins Square Park doesn't roll off the tongue like "Banned in Boston", but I'm sure if we all work together we can come up with something catchy for the guy.
# posted by : 5:54 PM
: 5:54 PM
This is, I know, completely off topic but...
Does anyone know _anything_ about the stone marker in the grass on the East side of TS park, under a medium size tree. You can see it, if you look carefully, from the fence. (Or, you can jump the fence to get a closer look.)
On the stone marker is, IIRC, is this:
Dominique Ventura
"My Huckleberry Friend"
It doesn't google. A marker for a dead dog? Viral marketing? Memorial for a person?
"Huckleberry Friend" shows up in a Johnny Mercer song and, doh, as slang for a "special" friend.
Very strange thing. I don't think it was there at the beginning of the summer. My kids noticed it playing in the grass and asked and I don't have a clue. It's not, apparently, an official memorial tree. It doesn't show up on the list on the sprinkler park building like, say, Allen Ginsberg's tree.
??
Does anyone know _anything_ about the stone marker in the grass on the East side of TS park, under a medium size tree. You can see it, if you look carefully, from the fence. (Or, you can jump the fence to get a closer look.)
On the stone marker is, IIRC, is this:
Dominique Ventura
"My Huckleberry Friend"
It doesn't google. A marker for a dead dog? Viral marketing? Memorial for a person?
"Huckleberry Friend" shows up in a Johnny Mercer song and, doh, as slang for a "special" friend.
Very strange thing. I don't think it was there at the beginning of the summer. My kids noticed it playing in the grass and asked and I don't have a clue. It's not, apparently, an official memorial tree. It doesn't show up on the list on the sprinkler park building like, say, Allen Ginsberg's tree.
??
# posted by : 12:32 AM
: 12:32 AM
Oh, the stone marker is, more or less, in the middle of the park, roughly half a block south of Ninth Street and roughly 15 feet from the fence.
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