NYPD and Occupy Wall Street Worked Together to Prevent Post-Sandy Crime
Now that they're done pepper spraying defenseless protesters, the NYPD is working with Occupy Wall Street to combat crime. In the weeks after Hurricane Sandy, the Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn was without, as the New York Post puts it, "power or electricity," leaving residents and businesses vulnerable to any number of crimes. And yet, no storm-related crime was reported, despite spikes in other NYC neighborhoods. The reason?
Occupy Wall Street, according to the NYPD.
Police sources have credited the drop in crime to an unlikely coalition that included the NYPD, Occupy Wall Street activists, and local nonprofits working together to keep storm victims safe.
"This crisis allowed us all to remove the politics and differences we had to do our job, and come to the aid of the people," said a police source yesterday. "We all rose to the occasion."
In nearby Coffee Park, the NYPD worked with Occupy volunteers to set up tents, distribute food and medicine. Kirby Desmarais, a Occupy Wall Street activist, told the Post she had the unique experience of working with old foes the NYPD, the mayor's office and the National Guard.
"It was intense, it was working, and it was awesome," Desmaris, a volunteer coordinator for the Red Hook Coalition, said. "There was a shift in the energy in the community."
No word if they NYPD repaid the Occupy volunteers for all the pizza they stole last year.
