Post the death of George Floyd and the #blacklivesmatter protests that followed, many incidents of police brutality have come forth in the United States.
Another incident took place on July, 28 involving a trans femme protestor by the name of Nikki Stone. The 18-year-old was filmed while begin detained in New York at Second Avenue and 25th Street in Kips Bay. The video shows Nikki riding on a skateboard as she is detained by several plainclothed officers from the NYPD. The police officers can be seen yelling "get back" at other protesters as they put Nikki in an unmarked grey minivan.
NYPD arrest video went viral
The video clip went viral on the internet soon after and has garnered over six million times on social media. While calling out police brutality, many Twitter users have come forward and shared the hashtag, #whereisnikki on the platform.
New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez also took to her Twitter account and wrote: "Our civil liberties are on brink. This is not a drill. There is no excuse for snatching women off the street and throwing them into unmarked vans. To not protect our rights is to give them away. It is our responsibility to resist authoritarianism."
Following the social media outcry, Carlina Rivera, who is the Councilwoman for the second district of the New York City Council released a statement that Nikki had been released from police custody on Wednesday morning. She tweeted, "We've just received confirmation that Nikki has been released. Thank you to all the advocates who have been bringing support and attention. Now it's time to hear from @NYCMayor [Bill de Blasio] about how he will address this arrest and the future of unidentifiable policing in NYC."
Meanwhile, the NYPD has issued a statement on the incident, explaining that, "In regard to a video on social media that took place at 2 Ave & 25 St, a woman taken into custody in an unmarked van was wanted for damaging police cameras during 5 separate criminal incidents in & around City Hall Park. The arresting officers were assaulted with rocks & bottles.
