CNN contributor and former White House aide Keith Boykin was arrested over the weekend while covering a protest against police brutality and institutionalized racism that occurred in New York City.
The protest was one of many held across the country this past week in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd while he was handcuffed and held in police custody. Video recorded at the scene shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for at least seven minutes while Floyd said he couldn’t breathe.
Related: Police shot out pop star Halsey with rubber bullets during police brutality protest
Three other officers who were involved in the death have not yet been arrested.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Boykin said that he was taking pictures and video in Harlem of a protest that was “entirely peaceful.” As the protest moved to the West Side, though, police said that they would make arrests.
In a CNN segment, the gay, black journalist said that he was standing ahead of the protest while traffic had been shut down when police approached him. He told CNN’s Don Lemon that he identified himself as a member of the press.
“I turned around, and they arrested me anyway,” he said. He says he was told after he was arrested that he was “blocking the highway,” which he said he wasn’t true because “the police and the protestors” were already blocking traffic.
“I was simply photographing what was taking place and documenting what was happening,” he said.
On Twitter, Boykin explained in more detail that he was held in a police van with his hands in zip ties that left bruises. He was then taken to the police station and held “in a jail cell with about 35 others with no social distancing and many of the others unmasked.”
In fact, he said that police took off the mask that he had on to take a picture of him and he couldn’t put it back on.
“The police took my photo but they never read me my Miranda rights and never charged me with any serious crime,” he tweeted. “After 6 hours in police custody, they finally let me out of jail with a summons to appear in court.”
He said that he was charged with misdemeanor counts of “walking on the highway” and “disorderly conduct – blocking vehicular traffic.” On CNN, Boykin said that police never warned him or told him to get off of the highway.
The police locked me in tight zip ties that bruised my wrists. They held me in a van for an hour. Then a hot police bus for an hour. Then they took me
to 1 Police Plaza and held me in a jail cell with about 35 others with no social distancing and many of the others unmasked.— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020
Just read the summons. I was charged with “walking on the highway” and “disorderly conduct – blocking vehicular traffic.”
Mind you, I didn’t block any traffic. The road was already obstructed by the police and the protesters. All I did was record it.
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020
One more thought on yesterday.
Aren’t police supposed to allow people to make a phone call? I asked repeatedly and was never allowed to call anyone during my six-hour arrest. Nor were any of the other 35 people locked up with me. None of us had any way to contact our loved ones. pic.twitter.com/6qCdHShDdK
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 31, 2020
All over the country, police officers have been targeting members of the press during the protests. The Guardian reports that there were at least 50 incidents where the police shot at, teargassed, or arrested journalists on Friday and Saturday.
Don't forget to share:
