[Photo courtesy of eqx1979/flickr]
Oh, yes, the whole election night party on Bedford Avenue that ended with arrests and accusations of police using excessive force if not brutality (plus videos of said behavior) and that resulted in a crapload of what can at least be called unflattering conduct on both sides is very played out. But it ain't done. Today, we've got this screed from the wall of a local laundromat that was posted to flickr and is rapidly making the rounds. We've also got this commentary from NYC the Blog, which launches into a diatribe about the nabe scene in general:
though these spontaneous celebrations happened in neighborhoods all over nyc without incident, it was Williamsburg's which ended with arrests and accusations from both sides alleging physical violence.
This bit continues:
If the comments on postings about the impromptu celebration at places such as Gothamist and elsewhere are any indication, the majority of people are disgusted with the antics displayed by the crowd that evening towards the police of Williamsburg, activities recorded by a proliferation of digital media showing individuals taunting and antagonizing the police, and then posted online at places such as YouTube.
And, of course, the Times even dispatched someone to look at the imbroglio and kind of got the idea that it might have as much to do with the general drunken douchebaggery that has overtaken Bedford Avenue and has very little to do with hipsters and more to do with the frat crowd coming in from Manhattan on the L train:
Some wondered why the police had acted so harshly in Williamsburg, while similar outpourings carried on largely without incident elsewhere. A Police Department spokesman said the officers in Williamsburg were met with resistance, and a few flying bottles, when they tried to clear the area. The incident also brought some usually latent neighborhood tensions to the fore. On blogs and along Bedford Avenue in the aftermath, several residents said that they were fed up with the perennial noise and that, even in the thrill of a historic election night, it seemed excessive.
Are we on the verge of a reassessment of the overall Bedford Avenue scene, once the charges about whether the cops didn't make as nice as they could have get finished being aired out?
· Backlash Against Williamsburg Grows, Now a Source of Derision From NYC to Hong Kong [NYC the Blog]
· So Hip and So Loud, and Stirring Up Williamsburg [NYT]For more stories from Curbed, go to curbed.com.
