A video has gone viral on Twitter after footage of a woman selling churros within a Brooklyn subway was arrested by NYPD.
The video was shared on social media by Sofia Newman on Friday and the tweet read, “Tonight as I was leaving Broadway Junction, I saw three or four police officers (one of them was either a plainclothes cop or someone who worked at the station) gathered around a crying woman and her churro cart. Apparently, it’s illegal to sell food inside train stations?”
Tonight as I was leaving Broadway Junction, I saw three or four police officers (one of them was either a plainclothes cop or someone who worked at the station) gathered around a crying woman and her churro cart. Apparently, it’s illegal to sell food inside train stations? pic.twitter.com/sgQVvSHUik
— Sofia B. Newman (@SofiaBNewman) November 9, 2019
The thread continued, and told the tale of the Spanish-speaking vendor, who was dragged away by NYPD. The video has been viewed over 2.6 million times, and social media users are angry.
Officials such as Scott M. Stringer, the NYC Comptroller, retweeted the video and added to the post, “Another incident that raises serious questions about the increased police presence in our subways. This kind of enforcement doesn’t make anyone safe.”
Although the original video claimed the woman was arrested, NYPD debunked that by sharing a series of tweets about the incident.
The tweets were shared on the NYPD Transit Twitter which read “Regarding the vendor our officers approached at the Broadway Junction station: She was not arrested, she received a summons. She’s received 10 summonses in the past 6 months and both English & Spanish speaking officers spoke with her…”
The NYPD Transit thread continued on to say that, “…when she still refused to comply, she was briefly cuffed, her property was invoiced, and she was released from the Transit District shortly therafter with another summons…”
Their final tweet about the incident said, “Our officers have been responding to number of recent complaints of violations at this station, including the unlawful and unlicensed sale of food and other products.”
Regarding the vendor our officers approached at the Broadway Junction station: She was not arrested, she received a summons. She’s received 10 summonses in the past 6 months and both English & Spanish speaking officers spoke with her…
— NYPD Transit (@NYPDTransit) November 10, 2019
