A Columbia professor wanted to document history. NYPD arrested him outside his home
A Columbia professor wanted to document history. NYPD arrested him outside his home
The professor had just finished his last class to end a 28-year teaching career at Columbia University. Then police arrested him outside his home.
Gregory Pflugfelder had just finished the final class of his career at Columbia. In 28 years at the university, he achieved many accolades as a professor of history who taught a popular course on Japanese monsters – mostly focused on Godzilla and "the role of the monstrous in the cultural imagination."
He didn't know it, but a cultural monster of sorts would soon be at his door.
The next night, on Tuesday, the 64-year-old silver-haired scholar stepped outside his apartment building, located off campus across the street from Columbia. He wanted to record iPhone video of hundreds of police responding to historic student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Fifteen minutes later, the NYPD arrested him.
He said he told the female police officer arresting him: “You’ve just arrested your first faculty member.” He said she responded, “This is for your protection.”
If this doesn’t scream big brother I don’t know what does.
He was charged with obstructing a government organization. Obstruction of Government Administration under NY Penal Law § 195.05 is a class A misdemeanor. A class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail or up to three years of probation. Additionally, the court may impose a fine of up to $1,000.
For holding an iPhone in the street.
Yeah that case is getting tossed. The bigger question is whether or not he files suit for the arrest, which he should.
Fuck the police and if you back the blue fuck you too.
I did not intend for that to rhyme
.....bars
Even (and, perhaps, especially) given the circumstances, I think it's time we start calling them gestapo. Disgusting.
Gestapopo, even.
Enjoy your six figure settlement, Professor! That won't hurt your retirement plans any.
Courtesy of the local tax payers….
I think it will be more like five figures... Source: I know multiple people who have received such a settlement. Often it takes years, in one case it took ten. They budget for this.
And we get to pay for it, lucky us!
Cops need to be licensed and insured, with the premium coming from their own salary.
The gestapo has come for you.. for your own protection..
Just send a video to a prominent YT 1st amendment auditor like Audit The Audit, and ask them to plug a GoFundMe.