NYC Police Bust Up Sheehan Rally, Make Arrest

According to several online reports, the New York City police broke up Cindy Sheehan's rally in Union Square this afternoon and arrested one or two organizers. According to the accounts, the police gave no warning before they moved in, made arrest[s] and confiscated the sound equipment. "A woman from the caravan said they had done more than 100 events in 51 cities, and nothing like this had ever happened to them."

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NYC Indymedia
Booman Tribune
Daily Kos

UPDATE: Several bloggers are reporting that Cindy Sheehan was arrested, but that does not appear to be true. The Village Voice has the story:

Cindy Sheehan may be the Rosa Parks of the antiwar movement. But that didn't stop members of the New York Police Department from marching into the crowd of about 150 people gathered in Union Square Monday to hear her speak and yanking away the microphone.

We can't go through it, we can't go under it, so we have to go over it," she continued, just as the cops rushed the makeshift podium.

Police dragged away Paul Zulkowitz, a.k.a. Zool, an organizer with “Camp Casey New York,” the small encampment that he and other activists helped set up a month ago in Union Square in solidarity with Sheehan’s vigil outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. The New York branch existed much to the ire of the city’s Parks Department. Today, Zulkowitz was arrested for failing to obtain a sound permit—a charge that normally warrants no more than a summons.

As the activists hustled away Sheehan and the other family members on the Bring Them Home Now tour, an enraged crowd of about 50 people stormed after the police, chanting, "Shame! Shame!"

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Update: The NYC Police may be due some thanks for helping to put Cindy back in the spotlight. The New York Times has the story. Hat tip to Steve Gilliard.

Cindy Sheehan Iraq War New York Anti-War