Multiple people were arrested on Sunday after the NYPD clashed with people celebrating Pride in Washington Square Park.
Police tell Gothamist that there were eight arrests that happened on Sunday evening. A police spokesperson said that four people were issued summonses for disorderly conduct; four other people were charged with resisting arrest, obstructing administration, and criminal possession of a weapon.
ABC reports that one woman "allegedly bit an officer, another woman in her 20s threw a water bottle at an officer, and a man was arrested for assaulting a police officer."
Witnesses say that things were celebratory and peaceful in the park in the late afternoon as people packed in after the Queer Liberation March. At least one couple got engaged at the fountain.
"Basically there was nothing going on," Janus Rose, a technology journalist from Brooklyn who was at the park on Sunday, told Gothamist. "The park was packed and people were just hanging out and having a good time after the Queer Liberation March. Then all of a sudden we started seeing dozens of police vans circle around the park with their sirens and lights flashing, pedal to the metal."
"I checked out the north end of the park and a big crowd of [Strategic Response Group] in riot gear had shown up and were forcing people away from the big Arch and blocking off the north entrance," Rose said.
Around 7 p.m., Rose saw the aftermath of the stand-off in the north end of the park after people had been maced or pepper sprayed by officers.
In videos and photos posted on Twitter, large groups of cops with bikes and riot gear can be seen squaring off with people.
The NY Post claims that some people had thrown "bottles and removed metal barricades," precipitating the clashes.
"Mace was deployed, lots of shoving, arrests, can't remember if there were any beatings, but it was all the cops' doing," one person wrote.
In recent weeks, Washington Square Park has become a hotbed of protest and activity as some locals have claimed that nightlife and dance parties have been disruptive for the community, and crime has increased in the park. The NYPD announced a temporary 10 p.m. weekend curfew in the park, setting off a fierce showdown for public space between activists and riot cops.
At an emergency meeting in June, West Village residents vented about the situation, and cops said they would take a stronger hand in enforcing against loud parties and drug use.
