{"id":312980,"date":"2021-07-31T16:58:13","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T13:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/washington-square-park-provocateur-arrested-parties-stop\/"},"modified":"2021-07-31T16:58:13","modified_gmt":"2021-07-31T13:58:13","slug":"washington-square-park-provocateur-arrested-parties-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/washington-square-park-provocateur-arrested-parties-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"#Washington Square Park provocateur arrested, parties stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Washington Square Park provocateur arrested, parties stop<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Washington Square Park neighbors hope the midnight madness is finally over \u2014 after a party host and provocateur whose raucous antics plagued the famed space was arrested last week. <\/p>\n

David \u201cShaman\u201d Ortiz was taken into custody just before midnight on July 21, when he stepped in front of a slow-moving cop car in a futile effort to stop the breakup of his last rowdy Greenwich Village gathering, authorities said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tried to run me over,\u201d Ortiz told The Post a day after his arrest. He posted a video of the incident<\/a>, in which he was charged with misdemeanor obstructing governmental administration, on his Instagram.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old, who was quickly released, has been making residents near Washington Square Park miserable for months, organizing large parties well past the park\u2019s midnight closing time which drew hundreds and were accompanied by a host of illegal activities: fireworks, boxing matches, drug use, unlicensed alcohol sales and amplified music, which is banned in city parks.<\/p>\n

At the same time, violence had escalated as a quality-of-life crisis consumed the park in recent months. The city has been unable to contain the army of homeless, mentally ill and addicted publicly consuming drugs, who neighbors say have made the park increasingly unsafe.<\/p>\n

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David \u201cShaman\u201d Ortiz was taken into custody just before midnight on July 21.<\/figcaption>
James Keivom<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But since Ortiz\u2019 arrest, the park has been \u201cnoticeably better,\u201d said Ruth Wyatt, who has lived with a view of the landmark for 25 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s time to declare victory just yet,\u201d cautioned another park neighbor, who acknowledged an increased police presence around the park.<\/p>\n

Ortiz leads a group called the \u201cWe Outside Crew,\u201d and in June told Washington Square Park neighbors \u201cyou should move\u201d if they didn\u2019t like his after-hours festivities in the iconic park. He\u2019s also a former city employee who recently left the staff of District 37 Councilwoman Darma Diaz (D-Brooklyn).<\/p>\n

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\"David
The 29-year-old, who was quickly released, has been making residents near Washington Square Park miserable for months.<\/figcaption>
Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

His arrest came hours after he reiterated during a Community Board 2 meeting that park neighbors who don\u2019t like the noise should \u201cmove to the suburbs.\u201d Protesters supporting Ortiz, including one holding a We Outside Crew sign, taunted NYPD Captain Stephen Sparato throughout the meeting, at one point calling the 6th Precinct commander \u201ca racist piece of s\u2014t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent improvements \u201cmark the end to the unusual level of lawlessness we\u2019ve seen since April,\u201d the Washington Square Association said on its website<\/a> and in an email to members this week. \u201cThe police are closing the park at midnight, the turnaround for graffiti cleanup is more consistent, amplified sound has been drastically reduced, there\u2019s been less than a handful of fireworks launched in the Park since July 4.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor de Blasio finally vowed a Washington Square Park crackdown last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re starting to be able to focus again on quality-of-life concerns,\u201d he said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Ortiz had claimed his free public parties harmed no one, and instead enabled post-pandemic New Yorkers who couldn\u2019t afford high-priced clubs and restaurants to enjoy the city.<\/p>\n

\"David
David \u201cShaman\u201d Ortiz speaks at a Community Board 2 meeting about Washington Square Park.<\/figcaption>
William C. Lopez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After his arrest, the Brooklyn native maintained he\u2019s no enemy of the cops \u2014 and that he was \u201cshunned\u201d by the Black Lives Matter movement and kicked out of their Manhattan encampment last year for being pro-cop. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey called me a pig lover,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

But he also claims the NYPD is wasting its time \u201ctrying to babysit us\u201d at Washington Square Park. <\/p>\n

He now says the party will go on, whether it returns to Washington Square Park or finds a new home in Coney Island or elsewhere in the city.\n <\/p><\/div>\n