Actress Ellen Barkin had an apparent run-in with New York City Police on New Year’s Eve. Fortunately, her boyfriend captured this travesty of justice, or moment of overweening celebrity entitlement, on his phone cam. Watch and decide for yourself.
The incident began when Barkin encountered a group of New York City police officers apparently trying to round up a group of protesters, possibly aligned with the Occupy Wall Street movement, near her home on 13th St. and 6th Ave.
The actress, who fancies herself a political activist, tried to intervene as the police were putting people in one of their vans. Big mistake.
Here’s her account:
“Just threatened on my street by NYPD, cop shoved me, both hands, onto sidewalk..Is it a crime 2 stand in the street in NY?WTF is going on here?” she Tweeted.
“I was trying 2 make my way 2 young girl they had thrown in2 the van. She was not a protester. Was not drunk. She was walking home,” she wrote.
“I have never been afraid of a NY policeman until last nite. What I saw was random & senseless arrests and unnecessarily threatening behavior,” she Tweeted about the incident.
Hmmmm… sounds like a case of celebrity self-entitlement. What made Barkin think the cops would allow her to intervene in a police matter? Because she was a celebrity, apparently.
Anyone who’s ever been in New York City on New Year’s Eve knows it’s filled with crazed revelers. Don’t let Times Square fool you. That gathering is like a junior high school house party with your parents chaperoning. Security is tight, no alcohol is allowed, and everyone is generally well behaved.
The rest of Manhattan is another matter, and the streets are typically teeming with drunken assholes. The police are trained in crowd control, and first and foremost, they expect people to do what they are told.
Second, they are trained to be purposeful and decisive. If they tell you to move from the street to the sidewalk, it’s best to do it. Push back, and you asking to be arrested.
Not surprisingly, Barkin witnessed a pretty chaotic scene and reacted emotionally.
“Walking home…13th & 6th, police making random arrests of non protesters. Young girl in police van screaming ‘I’m just trying 2 get home’” she Tweeted.
“People being thrown in police vans, arrested for “jaywalking” What happened to the NYPD of my youth? Who are u all?Shame shame on u all,” she added.
She later slammed Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Fuck all of u,Bloomberg & every1 goose-stepping behind u.I cannot believe what I am seeing.U protect nothing.U ARE the violence in my city.”
And, where was the mayor? Instead of manning a city command center to monitor trouble spots, Bloomberg chose instead to hang out with Lady Gaga in Dick Clark’s Times Square VIP corral.
In any event, check out the video, and let us know your thoughts.
