A video of a transgender woman captured and arrested in New York City by plainclothes police officers in an unmarked van surfaced online Tuesday. The incident has sparked nationwide outrage over police tactics.
Police arrested Nikki Stone, an 18-year-old transgender woman while she skateboarded past the intersection of 2nd Ave and 25th Street. The officers wore only t-shirts and khaki or navy blue shorts and fanny packs, and had no other outward characteristics to indicate they worked for law enforcement. The group of officers shoved Stone in a minivan where they arrested her.
Another angle of plainclothes officers pushing a protester into a minivan on 2nd Ave near 25th earlier tonight. "We were skateboarding and eating pizza," said one witness. "We didn't see where they came from. All of a sudden they grabbed Nicki. It was like a kidnapping." pic.twitter.com/rzymNjlVVo
— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) July 29, 2020
Law enforcement released Stone on Wednesday morning, slapping her with several vandalism charges. Police suspect her of damaging surveillance cameras around the city. Stone has been very active in the Black Lives Matter movement.
Related: Couple who held guns on Black Lives Matter protestors sued to keep gays out of their neighborhood
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“In regard to a video on social media that took place at 2 Ave & 25 St, a woman taken into custody in an unmarked van was wanted for damaging police cameras during 5 separate criminal incidents in & around City Hall Park. The arresting officers were assaulted with rocks & bottles,” police said in a statement.
Friends of Stone have already launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for her legal costs. At the time of this writing, it has exceeded its $15,000 goal raking in more than $24,000.
Stone’s arrest comes at a precarious time for law enforcement, which has come under heavy criticism for violent police tactics and the shooting of unarmed citizens. That onus has been compounded with the announcement that the Trump Administration had authorized “secret police” to patrol the streets of Portland in disguise and arrest protesters without a warrant.
frapachino
Good to see law enforcement is still out there especially now when they are needed more than ever, thanks guys most Americans support you!
Cam
Except for the fact that the Majority of Americans support the protests.
But it’s cute you trolls keep lying and thinking it works.
Kevan1
@frapachono. F U . Maybe on day some strangers will grab you of the street with no explanation. The fear that most insight. Narrow minded A-ss-hole. Go troll somewhere else. Trump C-ock S. UCK-er.
curiobi
Why don’t you just go live under arock with the rest of your KKK family, tash bag racist. Everyone here is sick of you stinking up the comments with your racist trash every chance you get. P i s s off troll.
Nosso Crankee
I bet you preen your micro-peen while you spit your trollspeak, FAPPacino…
Ricanthony
STFU frap! Man, you’re a dumbass.
Cam
“”The arresting officers were assaulted with rocks & bottles,” police said in a statement.”
Two things:
1. Video shows any rocks or bottles, but claiming they were assaulted has long been a tactic police use to slap on additional charges.
2. These unmarked, un-uniformed police are a problem when dealing with the public in large groups. This looked like a kidnapping, not an arrest.
Cam
Damn, I meant video does NOT show any rocks or bottles.
Kangol2
You’re so right. They’re trying to create reality out of their lies, but the video is clear: no rocks or bottles were thrown at them as they brutally arrested this young person.
Mister P
That is exactly the kind of bullshit they are protesting against. These cops are thugs.
wiredpup
So a criminal gets arrested, BFD.
And being trans has absolutely nothing to do with the story. Just trying to stir sh!t up.
Cam
And we know she’s a criminal how? The police lied about people throwing rocks and bottles at them, all the videos showed this not to be true. There was no uniforms, no marked cars, etc.
Police are there to serve society, society isn’t here to service police.
wiredpup
@Cam F off
jdr11201
Warrant-Squad,
They still have to identify themselves as NYPD and read the accused their rights not: “Snatch n Grab” tactic. Where are we Russia, she needs Mr. Sanford Rubenstein (Sandy) as a lawyer he’ll get you off with 10-million dollars or more.
What is going on with the NYPD?
iron
nice to know. thank you
nm4047
needless to say the cops will state that they did read the rights.
Mack
I have some friends who are police and are very nice and polite when dealing with people. There are bad cops just like there are bad employees in every business. And those bad cops needs to be replaced. The problem comes with the “thin Blue Line” that good cops protects the bad cops because when they need help, they might end up getting stranded with no help. These bad cops are now being “supported” by Donald Trump so they end up doing even worst than before. I don’t think we need to “defund” the police, but I also don’t think we should be making the police into a “militarlized department” with the same equipment our military has.
iron
the blue line needs a few links inserted as nonacceptable behavior EG: domestic violence,.
firstecho
Transgender teen? What about that is relevant? She was 18 and had warrant for vandalism.
“Adult with warrant” would be a more informative way to describe it. Plainclothes officers and vehicles are a thing, especially for drug crimes and warrants. I support BLM and free protests, but this isnt a thing. Can everyone not swing at every “viral” story?
Cam
Is She Transgender? Yes, is she a teen? Yes, is this a site that tells stories about LGBTQ issues? Yes.
Your problem is, accurately describing the person shows that all the force was overkill.
firstecho
@Cam what makes this an LGBT issue? She had a warrant for destroying police property and put in a van. Thats “overkill”? Nothing here to imply or suggest a 40 yo cisgender person would not be treated similarly with a warrant.
curiobi
LGTB recently attacked by police at parade, and how many trans women killed so far this year, but your concern is what exactly? A warrant? Are you being serious!
The police attacking like kidnappers is okay with you? Snatching trans women off the street and lying about being attacked is okay with you? You’re telling me she is so very dangerous a normal legal arrest with her rights read to her was not possible? REALLY?
ThinkPIease
New York is destroying itself. Police are retiring in record numbers and the crime is heading to the same levels as Chicago. So sad.
Tishthedish1
Or worse than Chicago! Both cities have pathetic unqualified idiotic mayors !!!
Kangol2
The entire society is falling apart at the seams, because of the Covidiot in the White House, but this happens under Republican presidents again and again. Nixon, Reagan, HW Bush, George W. Bush, same story over and over. But you continue your belief it’s the “Democratic mayors.” Meanwhile, people are dropping like flies under this “Wartime President,” who wants to “postpone” elections and send his storm troopers into American cities! Hell no, Don the Con’s got to GO! Lock him up, lock him up!
Cam
It would be nice if the Republican trolls didn’t come in with the SAME lies each time.
1. NYC has one of the lowest crime rates of any big city in America.
2. Cities like Houston, St. Louis, Birmingham, Memphis, etc. ALL have higher crime rates than Chicago. But the right wing Republicans need to try to lie to make it seem like Chicago is worse because Obama was from there. Chicago has higher crime NUMBERS because it is many times larger than those other cities, but per capita, Red state cities are FAR more dangerous.
nm4047
the fact the person identifies as trans has nothing to do with the ‘arrest’ fully support the protests associated with BLM, but vandalism is still just that, if the cops have grounds for the charge let that play out in the legal system. I’m guarantee there will be a 1000 lawyers that will be putting their hand up to represent them in court for nothing.
Cam
So then according to you, the arrest of George Floyd was fine, and him being black had nothing to do with it? Was him holding a bad $20 bill an excuse?
So even if the charge was real, it was non-violent, nobody got hurt, and a group of unmarked, non-uniform wearing people jumped her and then beat her, THEN lied about bottles and rocks getting thrown.
If the arrest was legit, why lie about the rocks? And if you don’t think a trans person is going to get treated a certain way by the cops, you haven’t been paying attention. The entire force behind BLM is because cops treat black people differently.
What I’m noticing though is a group of accounts coming in here who keep trying to lay out the line of “WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS?!” “WHY DOES IT MATTER THAT SHE’S TRANS??”
I would ask, why does pointing that out anger you so much?
LumpyPillows
Trans people can commit crimes too.
Goforit
Some cops commit crimes too.
LumpyPillows
True, but irrelevant.
Tishthedish1
Thanks to idiots that always protect “ criminals “ this type of crime and more serious crimes will continue to escalate! Undercover warrant cops have been around for 50 yrs! Not a big deal & nothing new! Don’t do a crime if you can’t do the time! Trying to paint the police as the criminal is so so very wrong! There are bad cops and trust me they are being weeded out ! When you need a cop , who you gonna call ? Ghostbusters?
Cam
So if this was a normal crime, why a group of non uniform wearing people in an unmarked van?
firstecho
@Curiobi
It’s kidnapping in the same way the government painting their own building is vandalism: ones legal and ones not. You can’t just remove context. Yes a warrant for arrest is just that, a legal document signed by judge that gives police the direction arrest the person on sight
There’s not enough evidence to suggest police are lying. The video only shows the last few seconds of the incident. You can see a bottle roll to one of the officers feet, and an aggressive crowd to the uniformed police officers assisting. Still thats irrelevant to the legitimacy of the arrest which again is based off a legal document signed by a judge.
Articles say she was arrested in the van- “reading someone their rights” doesnt make an arrest legal or not, it only effects whether you can use the suspects disclosure to law enforcement against them in prosecution. You can technically not read someone any rights and get a conviction if theres enough evidence. You don’t always need the suspects admission, particularly for property crimes. Still no evidence her rights were or were not read in or outside of the van since the video is so short. But regardless again irrelevant
Once again, what did her being trans have to do with anything? This was a PERSON who had a warrant signed by a judge for a crime. Police executed the warrant and picked her up. Stop watching so much TV. Violence against trans women because they are trans women is a thing- theres no evidence that played a role here.
Cam
There were no rocks or bottles on the video. So yes, there is evidence the police lied.
curiobi
Thank you @Cam, at this point I am so sick of the trolls on this site. Every time something happens its boring, get over yourself, if it’s racist they deny it’s about race, the same if it’s homophobic, transphobic, or any thing else.
They just exist to gaslight when no one was actually talking to them in the first place! Why don’t they just phuck off back to 4chan and that rag Milo no-one-cares-about-opolis used to work at with Trumps ex boot licker Steve Bannon.
firstecho
@cam
So if i punch you but you dont start recording until after the punch did it happen? The video doesnt show the actual arrest- only the final few seconds.
t
We all need to hunt down this “frapachino” dude and let him know how we really feel for all his racist and ignorant trash he posts here. Anyone else on board?