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NYPD Arrested CNN Journalist Keith Boykin as He Covered Protest, Held Him for 6 Hours with 35 Others ‘for Doing Nothing’ — WATCH

Andy Towle June 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

Keith Boykin

In another outrageous case of police overreach, out CNN commentator and journalist Keith Boykin was arrested on the westside of Manhattan over the weekend while covering the NYC protests over the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd.

Boykin told Don Lemon he was arrested “for doing nothing, for exercising my first amendment rights to be on the street” and covering the protests.

Boykin said he was ahead of a group of peaceful protesters on the West Side Highway taking photos when the police met them from the opposite direction.

Boykin said he told the police he was with the press and they walked by him, and then turned back around and came for him.

Boykin asked why he was being arrested and they said ‘well, you're blocking the highway' which Boykin said he clearly wasn't doing.

Explained Boykin: “They took me, they put me in a zip tie, they put my hands behind my back, they put me in a hot van for an hour, in a hot police bus for an hour, then they took me down to 1 Police Plaza where they held me in a jail cell with about 35 other prisoners from [the] protest, and I was there for 4 hours, 6 hours overall in total custody, and they never charged me with any felony. It was just a summons to appear in court in September for blocking the highway. A six hour ordeal. When they could have just said, ‘you need to move off the highway you're going to be arrested' they didn't bother to do that. They just arrested me. The police have too much power.”

Boykin said “so often, the police make matters worse and that's what people are protesting about.”

Boykin also told Don Lemon he was in Houston this week for a wake for his stepfather who died from coronavirus.

Lemon asked Boykin about any measures taken by the police for social distancing during his time in custody. Boykin said there were none.

“There's no opportunity for social distancing when you're in a cell with 35 people,” said Boykin.

Watch Boykin's infuriating story:

video
play-rounded-fill
Link

More from Boykin's Twitter feed:

One more thought on yesterday.

Aren't police supposed to allow people to make a phone call? I asked repeatedly and was never allowed to call anyone during my six-hour arrest. Nor were any of the other 35 people locked up with me. None of us had any way to contact our loved ones. pic.twitter.com/6qCdHShDdK

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020

The police locked me in tight zip ties that bruised my wrists. They held me in a van for an hour. Then a hot police bus for an hour. Then they took me
to 1 Police Plaza and held me in a jail cell with about 35 others with no social distancing and many of the others unmasked.

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020

Just read the summons. I was charged with “walking on the highway” and “disorderly conduct – blocking vehicular traffic.”

Mind you, I didn't block any traffic. The road was already obstructed by the police and the protesters. All I did was record it.

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020

This is a video of Sem Simma, one of the protesters on the West Side Highway today in New York City. A few minutes later, we were both arrested and locked up in the same jail cell. pic.twitter.com/upfFbOisqb

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020

I was arrested at the NYC protest today right after I took this photo on the West Side Highway. Six hours later, I have just been released. pic.twitter.com/YqmRQljl8F

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020

Motorists getting out of their cars on the West Side Highway to show their support for #BlackLivesMatter protest coming from Harlem. pic.twitter.com/gr3rRnslAp

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 30, 2020

The West Side Highway in Harlem is closed down in both directions. pic.twitter.com/IvbPTetOnd

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 30, 2020

Topics: Race, towleroad More Posts About: Don Lemon, George Floyd, Keith Boykin, Law Enforcement, New York, New York City, NYPD

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