A Parks Department peace officer caught on camera arresting a teenage food vendor in Battery Park over the weekend has been placed on administrative duty while an investigation into the matter continues.
In the video, posted on X (formerly Twitter), the officer is seen trying to restrain the 14-year-old girl as she tries to escape his grip. As the chaos ensues, park-goers surrounded the teenager and pleaded with the officer to release her.
On-lookers are heard in the background telling the officer to “Let her go!” and “Stop touching her!”
This is what fucking @NYCParks and NYPD are busy doing on a Sunday afternoon…trying to put a twelve year old child in cuffs who’s selling fruit with her family pic.twitter.com/DexqxDgcJg
— MARC REBILLET (@marcrebillet) June 2, 2024
Marc Rebillet, the man who filmed and posted the video, said the girl was selling fruit with her family in the Lower Manhattan park when the incident unfolded at about 2 p.m. on June 2.
“This is what f—ing NYC Parks and NYPD are busy doing on a Sunday afternoon,” Rebillet posted with the video. “Trying to put a 12-year-old child in cuffs who’s selling fruit with her family.”
At one point during the scuffle, several bystanders are seen trying to pull the girl away from the officer as he tries to cuff her. At the end, the girl appears to escape and run into the crowd.
During the joint operation with the NYPD, Parks Enforcement Patrol officers confiscated perishable items from unlicensed vendors in the park, a NYC Parks spokesperson confirmed. It is illegal to sell unlicensed food in NYC parks.
While officers attempted to destroy the items — which were found to be unsafe for consumption — the girl, along with a 32-year-old woman, intervened, which led to the events in the video.
According to the Parks Department spokesperson, the teenager received a juvenile report and the woman received a desk appearance ticket. The officer involved in the incident has been re-assigned to administrative duties while an investigation proceeds.
“Our Parks Enforcement Patrol’s first course of action is to educate in order to bring violators into compliance,” the Parks spokesperson added. “When individuals have repeatedly flouted the law, we take additional enforcement actions, and there are instances when it is necessary to place violators and individuals obstructing the law under arrest.”
During a press conference in Harlem about new public restrooms in NYC, Mayor Eric Adams shared his thoughts on the controversial video, and defended efforts to crack down on illegal street vendors.
“That area has received a substantial number of 311 complaints because of illegal vending,” he said. “It’s impacting the quality of life. We hear it all the time. People are calling us and saying it gives the appearance that our city is having a level of disorder and everything and anything goes. The Parks Enforcement officers must respond to that. We have to respond to complaints that are coming from citizens.”
