New York City Takes a Page From Portland Playbook as Unidentified Officers Arrest Protester in Unmarked Van

Law enforcement in New York City took a page from the Portland protest playbook Tuesday when plainclothes officers detained a protester from the street in a van lacking any discernible insignia. Those on the scene captured the arrest on video and said the protester was transgender. The NYPD issued a statement on the video but did not confirm the origin of the officers detaining the protester: “In regard to a video on social media that took place at Second Ave. and 25th Street, a woman taken into custody was wanted for damaging police cameras during five separate criminal incidents in and around City Hall Park. The arresting officers were assaulted with rocks & bottles.” The protester was later named by the New York Post as 18-year-old Nikki Stone. She was reportedly released early Wednesday after being slapped with several unspecified charges. Federal officers in Portland sparked nationwide outrage after video showed them in military-esque uniforms without badges detaining protesters in unmarked vans.