Monday, October 08, 2018
Arrest of Hasidic man sparks protest in Brooklyn
A Borough Park Torah procession turned into chaos Sunday when cops busted a Hasidic man for blocking a cop car, prompting members of the orthodox community to begin chanting, "Nazis!" at the officers, video shows.
During the scuffle, a lieutenant was injured and had to be treated at a local hospital, a high-ranking police source said.
Joel Herskovitz, the man who was cuffed during the procession, griped to The Post by phone Monday that the police response "was definitely overkill.
"They shouldn't have done anything," he said. "I was just walking peacefully with the crowd. [A cop] just pushed me from behind. I just turned around and said, 'Don't push me,' and just walked on.
"They came to ruin a peaceful celebration."
But authorities said Herskovitz, 38, was purposefully blocking a police car that was trying to disperse the large crowd on 51st Street near 17th Avenue in Brooklyn about 6 p.m. The crowd was there to celebrate a Torah being given to a nearby synagogue, Herskovitz said.
When the officers went to arrest Herskovitz, he held his hands together in front of his body and refused to put them behind his back, police said.
As police struggled with him, the orthodox revelers surrounded the cops and shouted at them.
"You are instigating!" one yelled.
"Let him go! Let him go!" others shouted.
Several of them then began chanting "Nazis! Nazis" at the arresting officers, the video shows.
Herskovitz was taken into custody and brought to the 66th Precinct station house, where dozens of members of the orthodox community stood outside Sunday night until he was released.
Herskovitz was given a desk-appearance ticket for obstructing governmental administration, police said.
But a police source fumed of the DAT, "If a cop gets hurt, they're supposed to go through" the system.
The source ripped the crowd, saying they believe "they should be able to walk in the street and do whatever they want and knock the s–t out of cops.
"Like, 'How dare the Police Department stop us from walking in the middle of the street.' "
The source added that members of the community are now calling for the commanding officer of the 66 Precinct to be removed but said it's unlikely to happen.
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