A city councilman from Brooklyn and a top staffer for the public advocate’s office were busted today after they got into a beef with cops following the West Indian Day Parade.
Councilman Jumaane Williams and Kirsten John Foy, community affairs director for Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, were cuffed at about 1:30 p.m. after they walked towards The Brooklyn Museum.
According to police sources, Williams and Foy were detained for walking through a frozen zone for emergency personnel only and were detained only until their identities were confirmed.
De Blasio said that Williams and Foy had permission to attend the reception but were stopped by cops despite identifying themselves and showing their IDs.
“It’s outrageous. They had their IDs. It’s unacceptable that this had happened,” de Blasio said.
Stefan Ringel, William’s spokesman, said a group of 15 to 20 cops encircled the pair and started shoving them – at one point pushing Foy to the ground, where he scraped his face on the pavement.
During the skirmish, [Williams] identified himself to police officers, Ringel said. “He had a Council badge. When he identified himself it was not respected, it was not honored,” he said.
The pair were taken to Union Temple of Brooklyn where they were questioned and then released after about 30 minutes without being charged.
“I fear that police may have looked at Jumaane, who is a young man with dreadlocks, and not beleived he is a Council member,” de Blasio said.
The NYPD, Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn all had no comment.