Gut wrenching. NYPD in subway surround woman selling churros. She’s crying. They’re telling her she stops or get arrested. Trying to talk to them in Spanish. Rolling their eyes at her. Lead out of station in cuffs. Cart taken away. This is police violence.
The full story and more original videos by @SofiaBNewman:
From witness @SofiaBNewman: “She kept trying to speak the cops in Spanish, but he kept rolling his eyes & saying things like, "Are you done?" & "I know you can speak English." Eventually, they cuffed her & unceremoniously dragged her & her cart away.”
Imagine thinking this response—4 officers, stealing a woman’s property & livelihood, treating her like dirt, cuffing her—is appropriate. The scariest part: They’re not trying to hide it. It’s as public as you can get. They are *confident* in their cruelty.
Update:
The number of white people replying variations of “I feel sorry for this woman, but she didn’t have a permit,” underscores 2 issues. 1. It’s easy to brush off police abuse when it will never impact you. 2. Mass incarceration has eroded imagination for non-carceral solutions.
Police have discretion. They can decide when & whether & who to arrest. They do so every day. They decided to harass a woman selling churros. Cuff her. Take her belongings. Roll their eyes when she spoke to them in Spanish. This is exceptionally naive.
“Yo come on.”
Being placed in cuffs, deprived of liberty, having your belongings taken from you, is violence. And trauma.
Glad you’re retired law enforcement & not still on the streets thinking it’s okay to treat people like this. Bye.
How can anyone support the actions of those police officers? Did he watch the video?
Hero. 
