New York City police raided an apartment of Black Lives Matter organizers Friday morning for a gruesome arrest before a protest group appeared in the organizer’s defense, leading to a standoff and causing law enforcement to leave the scene.
Derrick Ingram, 28, started a livestream on Instagram when police in riot gear, police dogs, a helicopter and dozens of cars marched around his apartment, alerting protest groups to come to his defense in Hell’s Kitchen, reports the New York Times.
“What have I done? What have I done?” he said on a livestream on Instagram. “I was born Black, that’s what I did.”
A New York Police Department (NYPD) spokeswoman Jessica McRorie said Buzzfeed’s department was “trying to make an arrest warrant for a police officer,” and decided to provide more details if the investigation is “active and ongoing.”
The standoff lasted several hours, as Ingram used Zoom and Instagram to talk to lawyers and communicate with those outside his home, seeking to help him out of his law enforcement situation.
Derrick Ingram, organizer of a group leading the BLM protests in New York, had a 5-hour distance with police earlier today. Helicopter and dozens of officers, some in riot gear, were deployed for an arrest at his Manhattan apartment, they were withdrawn after protesters arrived. #protest pic.twitter.com/3IQoPfBp1w
– @SCOOTERCASTER (FNTV) (@ScooterCasterNY) August 8, 2020
At one point, Ingram accused law enforcement of intercepting his phone calls, although the claim was not verified.
Atusa Mozaffari, a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society who was present at the scene, was not part of Ingram’s advice, but said “This is very clearly a NYPD policy decision to harm peaceful Protestants without legal means to do so. “
“This is exactly what everyone in New York City needs to worry about,” Mozaffari added.
Ingram is a founder of Warriors in the Garden, a group that has led rallies and events around the city since its inception in June.
“This was an attempt to silence our movement. This militarized police response threatened the safety of residents in Hell’s Kitchen and across NYC, ”Ingram said in a statement on Friday night.
“Officers used threats and intimidation tactics on a young man with no criminal history,” the statement added.
He said police who arrived at his door Friday did not produce a warning. A member of Ingram’s group, Kiara Williams, said police initially claimed to have made an arrest, but backtracked and said they were working on authorization when it was pressed.
On 8th Ave, Derrick Ingram of Warriors in the Garden and 100 Protestants walk in solidarity to the 18th area. Ingram planned to turn himself in #nycprotests pic.twitter.com/nSNXgjruXh
– Juliana 현혜 Kim (@julianahyekim) August 8, 2020
On Saturday, a crowd of Protestants marching with Warriors in the Garden with Ingram, as he is reportedly on his way to the 18th Police Department to join authorities.
The Hill reached out to the Deputy Public Information Commissioner for NYPD, but did not receive an immediate response.
.
