The five people arrested after Tuesday night's melee outside Tammany Hall (which sent five cops were to the hospital) appeared in court yesterday to blame the violence on police. "Everyone was leaving the club peacefully," said Luis Pena, who is charged with assault, riot, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Then the police "came, rushed the door and just started throwing people out."
The incident started when police were called to help settle a dispute at the club where Smif N Wessun was celebrating the release of their album, Monumental. When the cops got there, however, they found the place over capacity at which point the crowds were told to disperse.
"We were leaving anyway, they pushed us and that's when everything went wrong. I mean, I got my hair grabbed, I was thrown to the ground, I have scrapes," Cynthia Rosa, who has also been charged in the violence, said yesterday. "It was straight up police brutality," James Jessy Ayala, the only defendent not charged with a felony, said. "I got assaulted because I had a camera in my hand."
Tony Steele, a member of Smif-N-Wessun, agreed with the civilians, insisting that the event "perfect" and "peaceful" before it wasn't. "It was just pandemonium," he said. "There were just cops everywhere, beating everybody."
Police, naturally, say the Tammany five aren't telling the truth. NYPD chief spokesman Paul Browne said, "Police used appropriate force in effecting arrests of violent individuals who fought with officers. Five officers were hospitalized as a result; one with a broken front tooth, another with a broken nose, a third with lacerations to the neck, cheek and elbow; a fourth with contusions to the head and face, and a fifth with multiple contusions to the head."
All of the Tammany five pleaded not guilty and were released. They are due to return to court in September.
Meanwhile, for a reminder of what the incident looked like:
