A Win Against the NYPD

The first court appearances of Occupy Wall Street consisted of protestors and journalists with NYPD officers and attorneys of the National Lawyer’s Guild. On November 3^rd, 2011, around 60 defendants who were part of the first mass arrest stood in the Manhattan Criminal Court hoping to be dismissed. One of which was John Farley.

Farley, a 24-year-old reporter from a recently established online local news magazine of WNET Channel 13, MetroFocus was the first defendant. He was charged with disorderly conduct and his charge was the only one dropped, thanks to a letter from the president of WNET. 

Even during recent Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, the NYPD prevented journalists from simply doing their jobs. The NYPD used excessive force and arrested journalists, including credentialed journalists. Some were not allowed to even observe what was happening. This became one of NYPD’s scandals.

At the time, as a young reporter, Farley’s incident became the news.

“As far as I know, I was the first professional journalist arrested while covering Occupy Wall Street, though many others have been since,” said Farley, currently a multimedia web editor for MetroFocus.

Farley - along with his colleague and photographer, Sam Lewis - covered the Occupy Wall Street story since September 17^th, the Day of Action. He wrote an article about citizen journalism called Observations of a Jailed Journalist on September 27th based on the demonstration in Union Square on September 24^th.

Farley and Lewis observed protestors marching and chanting with the masses. All of the sudden, a NYPD officer pulled out his pepper spray and sprayed two young female protestors.

A woman helping a fellow protestor who has been pepper sprayed. Sam Lewis

“The pepper spraying incident was totally unexpected and deeply troubling,” said Farley.

As an instinctive reporter, he ran over to the women to interview them but then he was kettled with dozens of people.

“I was pushed up against a wall,” Farley says. “I wouldn’t say it was violent, but it was definitely forceful,” Farley told FishbowlNY.

Farley showed the officer his “WNET – New York Public Media” press badge and audio recorder but they still handcuffed him with plastic bands.

Although many journalists were arrested, Farley mentioned that he was the only journalist to be handcuffed.

While sitting on the sidewalk with other arrested citizens, he yelled, “I’m press! I’m with WNET MetroFocus! Please do not arrest me.”

John Farley arrested and kneeling on the sidewalk.                           Sam Lewis

Foley was held in police custody for nine hours. Most people who were with him were protestors but he did meet a couple of bystanders who were arrested after taking quick snapshots of the demonstration.

“After I was put into a holding cell, I spoke and conducted interviews with several of my cellmates, took a nap, ate a peanut butter sandwich and was eventually released.”

Farley has continued to cover stories on Occupy Wall Street but that experience was once in a lifetime.

“I haven't personally experienced anything similar before or since.”