Occupy Wall Street

Ydanis Rodriguez, NY City Councilman, Arrested by NYPD in Zuccotti Park Raid

By Tony Ortega Tue., Nov. 15 2011 at 5:12 AM





City Council member Jumaane Williams just tweeted that his colleague on the council, Ydanis Rodriguez, was arrested this morning during the NYPD raid on Zuccotti Park.

(Back in September, it was Williams who was arrested by the NYPD at the West Indian Day Parade near the Brooklyn Museum.)

Earlier tonight, at 7:42 on Monday, Voice staff writer Graham Rayman reported that he had obtained a leaked NYPD mobilization plan for a raid on Occupy Wall Street.

At about 1 am, the raid began.


Our Rosie Gray was one of the first reporters on the scene. Her report can be seen here.

Mayor Bloomberg has announced that he's going to hold an 8 am press conference to discuss the raid.

We'll post more updates here as we get them.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/11/ydanis_rodriguez_occupy_wall_street.php

Ydanis Rodríguez

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Ydanis Rodríguez

Member of the New York City Council from the 10th District
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2010
Preceded by Miguel Martinez
Constituency Marble Hill, Inwood, Washington Heights
Personal details
Born June 18, 1960
Dominican Republic
Political party Democratic
Residence Marble Hill, United States
Alma mater City College of New York
Profession Teacher
Committees Higher Education, Chair; Transportation; Youth Services; Fire and Criminal Justice Services; Immigration; General Welfare.
Religion Roman Catholic
Website NYC Council: District 10

Ydanis Rodríguez (born June 18, 1960) is currently a Democratic New York City Council member from the borough of Manhattan[1] and the former Chair of the Higher Education Committee.[2]

Contents
1 Early life and background
2 Political career
3 Controversy
3.1 Arrest
3.2 Touching Incident
3.3 Occupy Wall Street
4 References
5 External links


Early life and background
Born in the Dominican Republic, when Ydanis was 18 years old, he moved from his hometown of Licey al Medio to New York City. While working as a taxi driver,[3] Rodriguez earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at the City College of New York. He eventually earned his Master's degree in Bilingual Education at CCNY. Ydanis helped in founding Gregorio Luperón High School in 1992, where he taught for 14 years.

Political careerAfter an unsuccessful attempts to run for City Council in 2001 and 2003, Ydanis ran a successful election campaign in 2009. September 2009 he won the Democratic primary election by over 60 percent against seven other candidates.[4][5]

He represents the Council District 10 [6] which encompasses the neighborhoods of Marble Hill, Inwood and Washington Heights. In January 2010, he was appointed as the chairman of the Higher Education Committee.,[7] and as Chair, Rodríguez has called for more diversity in the faculty of CUNY,[8] more childcare programs for student-parents, and successfully fought to keep CUNY's budget intact during the economic recession.


Controversy
Arrest
Ydanis Rodríguez was arrested for a civil disobedience demonstration against the Arizona law requiring police officers to arrest illegal aliens.[9]

Touching Incident
Rodríguez was accused of inappropriately poking a female staffer during an argument, prompting the Council's Standards and Ethics Committee to began a investigation of the incident,[10][11]but decided against any formal punishment.[12]


Occupy Wall Street
Early on Tuesday morning, November 15 2011, as the Bloomberg administration tried to clear Zuccotti Park of the Occupy Wall Street protestors, Rodriguez was seen being arrested and taken away in police car while bleeding from the head. [13]

References
1.^ "New York City Council - Council Member -Ydanis Rodriguez- District 10". Council.nyc.gov. 2009-11-24. http://council.nyc.gov/d10/html/members/home.shtml. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
2.^ "Newbie council members get committee positions, cash perks from City Council speaker Christine Quinn". Nydailynews.com. 2010-01-25. http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/01/25/2010-01-25_councils_new_incrowd_newbie_members_get_committee_positions_and_cash_perks.html. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
3.^ "Welcome ydanis2009.com - BlueHost.com". Ydanis2009.com. http://www.ydanis2009.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=2. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
4.^ "2009 NYC Voter Guide: Candidate Profile: Ydanis Rodriguez". Nyccfb.info. http://www.nyccfb.info/public/voter-guide/primary_2009/cd_profile/CD10_Rodriguez_353.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
5.^ "Drumming Up Support in the Heights (Gotham Gazette, Aug 24, 2009)". Gothamgazette.com. http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/campaigns/20090824/211/2998. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
6.^ http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/maps/co/co10.pdf
7.^ "City Council Speaker Christine Quinn ousts arch-rival Charles Barron from education committee". Nydailynews.com. 2010-01-21. http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/01/21/2010-01-21_city_council_speaker_christine_quinn_ousts_archrival_charles_barron_from_educati.html. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
8.^ "CUNY diversity: While the student body is multihued, two-thirds of faculty is white". Nydailynews.com. 2010-03-01. http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/03/01/2010-03-01_cuny_diversity_studied_council_hearing_finds_multihued_student_body___23_white_f.html. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
9.^ . "Police Arrest 16 During Immigration Protest". NY1.com. http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/118747/police-arrest-16-during-immigration-protest. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
10.^ "Less fanfare from the Council - El Diario La Prensa NY - noticias de Nueva York". impre.com. http://www.impre.com/eldiariony/opinion/editorial/2010/8/12/less-fanfare-from-the-council-204370-1.html#commentsBlock. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
11.^ Editorials (2010-08-08). "Open: Sunlight must shine on secret City Council ethics trials". Assets.nydailynews.com. http://assets.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/08/08/2010-08-08_open_.html. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
12.^ "New York City Council - Council Member - District: 7". Council.nyc.gov. http://council.nyc.gov/d7/html/members/home.shtml. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
13.^ http://www.knickledger.com/2011/11/hispanic-nyc-city-council-member-injured-from-occupy-wall-street-raid/

External linkshttp://council.nyc.gov/d10/html/members/home.shtml
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=8630613#!/pages/Ydanis-Rodriguez/137998266216647?ref=ts
http://www.twitter.com/ydanis


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ydanis_Rodr%C3%ADguez

Ydanis Rodriguez Arrested: New York City Council Member Hit And Arrested During Police Raid At Zuccotti Park




NEW YORK - OCTOBER 25: New York City Council member Ydanis Rodriguez visits Food Bank for New York City's Community Kitchen of West Harlem on October 25, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

First Posted: 11/15/11 10:00 AM ET Updated: 11/15/11 12:06 PM ET


Ydanis Rodriguez, New York City Council Member, was hit in the head and arrested during last night's police raid on Zuccotti Park.

According to The New York Times, he was with a group near the intersection of Broadway and Vesey Street that was attempting to link up with protesters at Zuccotti Park. The group tried to push through a line of officers trying to prevent people from reaching the park. Mr. Rodriquez was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

The National Lawyers' Guild New York Chapter released a statement on judge's order stating:

Earlier, at approximately 1 AM, the NYPD began massing around Zuccotti Park “aka Liberty Park.” In the following hours reports surfaced that the NYPD entered the park with police in riot gear backed up by numerous police vehicles, including a bulldozer, evicting occupiers. In the process they destroyed property and arrested dozens of occupiers and protestors including NYC Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez and District Leader Paul Newell.

Jumaane D. Williams, council member of the 45th district, and colleague of Rodriguez confirmed the arrest this morning via Twitter and that Rodriguez was "bleeding from the head thanks to NYPD."


@JumaaneWilliams
Jumaane D. Williams
I can report that @ydanis, a #NYC Council Member, has been #arrested at #OccupyWallStreet & is bleeding from the head thanks to the #NYPD.
November 15, 2011 7:40 am via web Reply Retweet Favorite

Moments later, a tweet from Rodriguez's twitter account confirmed the arrest as well:

@ydanis
Ydanis Rodriguez
Council Member Rodriguez is currently in central booking, arrested while showing support for #ows #occupywallstreetNovember 15, 2011 10:38 am via Twitter for BlackBerry® Reply Retweet Favorite

On November 8th, Rodriguez, a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement, helped organized a march from Washington Heights to the financial district "because of the high unemployment that disproportionately affects his community."

During last week's march, Rodriguez said he was marching because even as a member of the City Council, he was part of the 99%.

"This fight is important for Latinos, for the African American community, but more than any group, this is important for the working class and the middle class."



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15/ydanis-rodriguez-arrested-hit-occupy-wall-street-raid_n_1094645.html

Among those arrested today was New York City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who had gone to Zuccotti Park when he learned of the eviction. He tweeted early this morning that he was at Central Booking, "arrested while showing support for #ows #occupywallstreet."

Fellow councilman Jumaane Williams, who was also at the protest site, tweeted that Rodriguez was "bleeding from the head thanks to the #NYPD."


NYC police clear "Occupy Wall St" camp
Mayor: Everyone's rights at stake in Zuccotti


At a press conference Bloomberg said that an "unfortunate minority" of Occupy Wall Street protesters had made conditions at the movement's encampment at Zuccotti Park "intolerable," and that the city was required to evict protesters for their own health and safety.

Bloomberg said the majority of protesters have been "peaceful and responsible," and respectful of police commands when they have marched. "But an unfortunate minority has not been. As the number of protesters has grown, this has created an intolerable situation."


#OccupyWallSt tweeted this morning that about 130 riot police were at Libery Square, "batons and helmets in their hands, smiling and loitering."

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57324871/occupy-protesters-regroup-in-nyc/

Latino Pol Arrested in Zuccotti Park Raid on Occupy Wall Street


Written By Andrew O'Reilly

Published November 15, 2011
Fox News Latino



New York City Councilman Ydanis Rodríguez was arrested -- and possibly roughed up -- early Tuesday morning when the NYPD raided Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan to break up the Occupy Wall Street encampment, according to a number of sources.

Rodríguez’s press secretary David Segal confirmed that the councilman was arrested, but could not say if he was in any way injured. Segal, however, heard from fellow Councilman Jumaane Williams that Rodriguez was bleeding from above one of his eyes.

Rodriguez arrived down at Zuccotti Park around 1:00 a.m. shortly after hearing reports that police had entered the park to shut down the encampment, Segal told Fox News Latino.

The NYPD said Rodriguez was arrested at Vesey St. and Broadway about 2 a.m. after pushing through a police perimeter. He allegedly pushed police officers, too.

He was detained for disorderly conduct, police said.

They said he did not suffer any injuries.

As of mid-morning Segal said that Rodriguez was being held at Manhattan’s central booking, but added that police had given no indication about when he would be released.

“Councilmember Rodriguez is currently in central booking, arrested while showing support for (Occupy Wall Street),” Rodriguez’s Twitter account said around 6:00 a.m..

Other elected officials came out in defense of Rodriguez.

“Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez is an outstanding public servant and a strong, thoughtful leader in Northern Manhattan. I am proud to continue my full support for Council Member Rodriguez because I know he is advocating for the 99% of New Yorkers who have been left behind in this economy," said State Sen. Adriano Espaillat.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez is a former teacher who was elected to the City Council in 2009. He represents the heavily Latino neighborhoods of Marble Hill, Inwood and Washington Heights.

Since taking office, Rodriguez's social activism has landed him in hot water several times.

In May of last year, Rodriguez was among the 16 people arrested for protesting Arizona’s controversial immigration law.

Earlier this month Rodriguez, along with New York State Sen. Adriano Espaillat, led an 11-mile march from Washington Heights to lower Manhattan in support of the Occupy Wall Street protests.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press release that the park was raided by the police so that the city’s sanitation department could clean it and that the move was taken early in the morning to reduce the risk of confrontation as well as minimize disruption to the surrounding neighborhood.

“Some have argued to allow the protestors to stay in the park indefinitely – others have suggested we just wait for winter and hope the cold weather drove the protestors away – but inaction was not an option,” Bloomberg said. “I could not wait for someone in the park to get killed or to injure another first responder before acting.

“Protestors have had two months to occupy the park with tents and sleeping bags. Now they will have to occupy the space with the power of their arguments,” he added in the statement.

Follow Andrew O'Reilly on Twitter: @aoreilly84



Source: : http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/11/15/occupy-wall-street-nyc-councilman-ydanis-rodriguez-arrested-in-zuccotti-park/#ixzz1dnU0sCeu

Councilman Rodriguez Arrested at Occupy Wall Street Sweep
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that to the best of his knowledge, Rodriguez has not claimed to be injured.

Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011 | Updated 5:42 PM EST



Councilman Rodriguez is seen bleeding on his forehead before being taken away by police at the Occupy Wall Street sweep.

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez was among the hundreds of people arrested during a sweep of the Occupy Wall Street encampment Tuesday.

Councilman Jumaane Williams said he witnessed his colleague's arrest, and says he saw the councilman bleeding on his forehead before being led off by police.

Video of his arrest confirms this, but Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that to the best of his knowledge, Rodriguez has not claimed to be injured.

Kelly said Rodriguez was arrested while trying to get through police lines to protesters.

Rodriguez's attorney, Andrew Stoll, said he has been denied access to his client.

About a dozen New York City leaders, including councilmembers, held a press conference to decry the overnight sweep.

Williams himself was detained at the West Indian Day Parade in September. The NYPD said it did so while verifying his identity.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/city-councilman-ydanis-rodriguez-arrested-occupy-wall-street-evacuation-ows-arrests-133919618.html

Enough is enough

It was time to give the park back to the people.

He was told to move and didn't. F*ck Him!!!!

Whatever!

Viva Quisqueya!

8:55 PM
Protesters, Arrested Councilman: Occupy Wall Street Is "Here To Stay"
By: NY1 News




As Occupy Wall Street protesters are allowed back inside Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park after a judge denied their right to use camping equipment, City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and other demonstrators who were arrested during the initial morning clearing of the park said their movement will continue.

Speaking with reporters, Rodriguez said the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has stayed in the park for nearly two months to protest economic inequality, is here to stay. He also said his experiences in police custody paled in comparison with the daily struggles of 99 percent of Americans.

Demonstrators allowed back inside the park are now chanting, cheering and making arrangements to go to churches elsewhere in Manhattan to stay overnight.

Officials at Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village tell NY1 they are allowing about 75 protesters to stay over tonight.

Earlier this afternoon, a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled that Occupy Wall Street protesters cannot be allowed to bring their tents or sleeping bags into the park, hours after the demonstrators were removed from the space by members of the New York City Police Department.

In his ruling, the Honorable Michael Stallman turned down protesters' application for a temporary restraining order, saying their First Amendment rights do not restrict the city's "enforcement of law so as to promote public health and safety."

The judge also said the protesters can return to the park, but must respect "reasonable rules" established by Brookfield Properties, the owner of Zuccotti Park.

Both the City Law Department and Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the ruling, stressing that they felt First Amendment rights do not extend to camping on privately owned grounds.

Protesters who spoke this evening with NY1 said they will continue their demonstrations against economic inequality, regardless of where they are allowed to camp.



"You can see how exciting it is, that so many people have come out tonight to support our movement, and I think it shows that we're just going to continue to grow, to expand, regardless of whether we reclaim our encampment here or set up one somewhere else," said a protester. "We're going to continue to occupy and continue to spread our message."

"I think it was completely unconstitutional, because they even shut down the trains coming to this area to make sure nobody could be around," said another. "So I think now the world can just see what happened. What happened was completely insane, because if what the police are doing is right, why not do it where everyone can see it?"

"Some people here are working people and they occupy, showing their support by their bodies being here, and then there's homeless people and they were getting their needs met here. They were getting food, clothes, doctors, and they threw all that away," said a third. "So I think that's going to make them look horrible and add fuel to the fire and bring more people to the movement."

At least 200 protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting officers' orders after police moved in shortly after 1 a.m. to clear an estimated 200 inhabitants who have been camped out in the park for the past two months (see video below).



Throngs of sanitation workers then moved in to clear the park of debris, collect protesters' possessions and steam clean the park grounds.

Many protesters later returned to a gated-off Zuccotti Park and were greeted by a large presence of police officers in riot gear.

Demonstrators were told to come at noon to the District 7 Garage on West 56th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues to pick up their property, but when they got there, the pick-up time was switched to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Wednesday through Friday.

Sanitation Department police said they pushed the time back in order to make the pick-up as orderly as possible.

Those who want to claim property at the garage should bring a valid photo ID, fill a claim form and provide proof of ownership. Sanitation officials will then determine whether to return the item or put it aside for future determination.

Another group of protesters briefly gathered at a park located on Sixth Avenue and Canal Street near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. The park, owned by Trinity Church, is blocked off by fences, which the protesters jumped over.

There was a brief stand-off between demonstrators and police, with religious leaders in between, leading prayer chants. After less than an hour, police officers moved in, prompting many protesters to hop back over the fences and disperse.

Trinity Wall Street officials released a statement saying that although they support the right to protest they have not given Occupy Wall Street permission to use the square.

(Continues)

(Continues)

Authorities originally told protesters who had been ousted from Zuccotti Park that they would be able to return to the park after it had been cleaned, but without the tents or sleeping bags that had allowed them to stay in the park for nearly two months straight.

However, at an 8:30 a.m. press conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the reopening of the park, which had already begun at around 8 a.m, would instead be delayed while city officials respond to a court order obtained by attorneys for the protesters directing that the city permit occupiers to return to the park with their belongings.

The mayor says Brookfield Properties asked the city yesterday for help in enforcing the park's no camping and sleeping rules, but says the final decision to act was his.

"But make no mistake the final decision to act was mine and mine alone. The park has become covered in tents and tarps, making it next to impossible to safely navigate for the public and for first responders who are responsible for guaranteeing public safety," Bloomberg said.

Many protesters were said to have left the park peacefully as police moved in overnight, but NY1's Lindsey Christ reported at around 3 a.m. that there were screams from protesters as police with sticks tried to move them out of the area.

Many protesters also fought back with some tying themselves to trees and chaining themselves together.



There were also reports of isolated injuries.

The Manhattan district attorney's office says each of today's arrests will be screened individually.

Prosecutors will be looking at videos and interviews with the arresting officers before determining if there's enough evidence to file criminal complaints.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says there were no significant problems and the officers acted professionally.

"We waited until the park was essentially cleared out before we moved forward and started to arrest those people. They obviously wanted to be arrested. So I believe that process, as far as we're concerned went forward reasonably well," Kelly said.


Manhattan Councilman Arrested During Early Morning Scuffle

Among those arrested in the Tuesday morning scramble was City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez of Manhattan.

A spokesman for the councilman says he went to the park early this morning as soon as he got word that police may be evacuating the park and got caught in the officers' sweep of the park.

Rodriguez has been an avid supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

He was one of a number of minority leaders who took part in an 11-mile march from Washington Heights to Zuccotti Park last week in support of the movement.

It's not clear what charges Rodriguez will face.

The Associated Press also reports at least a half-dozen journalists were detained while covering the events overnight.

Those taken into custody reportedly include an AP photographer, a Daily News reporter and a freelance radio journalist.

Police have not confirmed how many journalists were detained or what charges they may face.



Earlier in the morning police helicopters could be seen above as authorities confiscated tents and other overnight gear from some occupiers, with instructions that they could claim their belongings later in the day at the Department of Sanitation.

As police closed the park, scores of protesters marched 10 blocks north toward Foley Square, singing "We Shall Overcome." Other protesters swelled their ranks, and by 7 a.m. several hundred protesters had gathered there to plot their next move.

"The law that created Zuccotti Park required that it be open for the public to enjoy for passive recreation 24 hours a day. Ever since the occupation began, that law has not been complied with, as the park has been taken over by protestors, making it unavailable to anyone else," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement released at around 6 a.m. Tuesday. "From the beginning, I have said that the city had two principal goals: guaranteeing public health and safety, and guaranteeing the protestors’ First Amendment rights. But when those two goals clash, the health and safety of the public and our first responders must be the priority."

Protesters had been camping out in Zuccotti Park, located in the city's Financial District, since September 17, as part of a rally against economic inequality. However Bloomberg had expressed repeated concerns that the encampment was interfering with businesses in the area, and that conditions in the park were becoming increasingly unsanitary.

At approximately 1 a.m. Tuesday, the mayor's Twitter feed at NYCMayorsOffice, stated: "Occupants of Zuccotti should temporarily leave and remove tents and tarps. Protestors can return after the Park is cleared."

In its letter to Mayor Bloomberg, Brookfield says it has no issue with citizens using the park for peaceful assembly and protests, but cites conditions in the park have deteriorated making safety an urgent issue.




http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/150795/protesters--arrested-councilman--occupy-wall-street-is--here-to-stay-