In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and the Black Lives Matter protests that have spread across the country, many are people are deeply reconsidering the proper role of the police in society and how to make lasting reforms to the system. While others, well, they continue to use the cops are their personal enforcement mechanism for all manner of petty grievances. Irina Manta, a professor at Hofstra Law School and a FedSoc darling last seen trying to make the law hold people accountable for lying on Tinder, falls quite distinctly in the latter category.
Gothamist has an article detailing the turmoil in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, that fireworks are causing in the neighborhood. Though fireworks are illegal in the city, as anyone who has spent time in an outer borough knows, they are also a part of summertime life that frankly brings up a sense of nostalgia. But the NYPD has seen a sharp influx of firework complaints. And when a Ditmas Park Facebook group banned all firework talk, that’s when Manta sprang into action:
In response, another resident, Irina Manta, formed her own Facebook group, along with a petition calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio and other officials to “put a peaceful stop to the illegally launched fireworks that have been disrupting our sleep and lives for weeks.”
Hours later, police in riot gear showed up on the streets of Flatbush, apparently searching for those responsible for the fireworks. (A spokesperson for the NYPD did not respond to Gothamist’s inquiries about arrests or summonses).
And, particularly given the police violence that we’ve seen since the Black Lives Matter protests began, the social media posts documenting the fireworks raid — that police did while wearing full riot gear — have taken on a chilling quality.
Equality for Flatbush, a grassroots Black Lives Matter group based in Brooklyn, wasted no time giving Manta her own hashtag:
Irina Manta aka #DitmasParkKaren is a law professor at Hofstra University. Manta and her supporters began organizing for their campaign on the “Ditmas Park, Brooklyn” FB group page, a majority-white Facebook group where pro-gentrification and white supremacist sentiment is highly prevalent.
While the #DitmasParkKaren struggle was raging on social media, the same night at 11:30pm, several eye-witness videos and photos were posted on Twitter documenting van loads of NYPD officers in riot gear swarming a Flatbush neighborhood at Ocean and Church Avenues in response to a fireworks complaint. According to eyewitnesses, the NYPD entered buildings on Ocean Avenue and 1 person was arrested. For many long-time/lifelong residents of Flatbush, both the level of complaints about fireworks and last night’s response by police over a fireworks complaint is unprecedented.
The entire incident is yet another reminder that where some see nothing but black joy and exuberance, others see a nuisance or even a threat.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).