SALON

Monday, Oct 31, 2011 8:59 PM UTC

City denies dumping ex-cons at Zuccotti Park

Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York suspect dirty tricks by the Bloomberg administration

By

Topics: Occupy Wall Street, ,

City denies dumping ex-cons at Zuccotti Park (Credit: AP/iStockphoto)

The New York Department of Correction is denying rumors that it is dumping newly released Rikers Island prisoners at Zuccotti Park in order to undermine Occupy Wall Street.

The rumor was apparently first aired in the New York Post last week, and I’ve since heard it repeated by several occupiers. Suspicion of the Bloomberg administration is running deep among the protesters, particularly after a credible report over the weekend that the NYPD has been encouraging drunks to hang out at Zuccotti. There also seems to be a growing problem with troublemakers in Zuccotti who are not particularly interested in the Occupy movement.

But the prisoners rumor is not true, says Sharman Stein, spokeswoman for the Department of Correction.

She says it’s the policy of the city jails, which house detainees awaiting trial and those people who have sentences of one year or less, to leave off released prisoners at a transportation hub in the borough of their residence.* Each day, a Department of Correction bus drops off people being released at those hubs in the five boroughs.

“In Manhattan that spot is Canal and Centre streets,” Stein says. “Now, that’s pretty close to Zuccotti. But that spot existed before Occupy Wall Street.”

Indeed, that intersection is less than 10 blocks from Zuccotti. But there’s no evidence that this practice has anything to do with Occupy, nor, for that matter, that former prisoners are the ones causing problems in the park.

* This sentence has been corrected from an earlier version.

Justin Elliott

Justin Elliott is a reporter for ProPublica. You can follow him on Twitter @ElliottJustin More Justin Elliott.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 26 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations