Mayor-elect Eric Adams has condemned an angry mob that wreaked havoc on a sleepy middle-class Queens community as they protested Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal.
“It is one thing to protest in front of any elected office … but coming to a neighborhood and openly destroying property, being disruptive and throwing things at the inhabitants of the neighborhood – this is unacceptable in our city”, Adams ranted on a Saturday. press conference in Middle Village.
Kyrk Freeman was one of five people arrested and charged with rioting.
He was joined by City Councilor Robert Holden, who represents the neighborhood, and other political figures in condemning Friday night’s incident in Middle Village, where around 40 mostly masked thugs terrorized the neighborhood by destroying cars , American flags and attacking a cop.
Five were arrested and charged with riots, including Kyrk Freeman, 22, Daniel Wattley, 28; Alex Davis, 33; Charles Edmonds, 37; and Jonathan Lefkowitz, 38, who was also allegedly caught with ax and hammer and faces an additional charge of criminal possession of a weapon.
Adams, according to Holden, called to host the press conference, offering an overview of the difference between his administration and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s town hall.
Holden, a moderate Democrat, regularly disagrees with Blasio’s far left and one of his harshest critics. City councilor accused him on Friday of adding “gasoline to the fire” by tweeting “We can’t give up” in response to Rittenhouse’s acquittal – even as the NYPD was on high alert for protests potential.
“This guy has turned his back on the white middle class neighborhoods all over town,” Holden later told The Post. “To have Eric Adams come here before he’s even in office and show his support for us is very refreshing. “
However, the mayor-elect declined to say whether he actually believed de Blasio had instigated riots.
“I believe the real crisis is that a 17-year-old was legally capable of carrying a gun…” said Adams, Brooklyn Borough President and retired NYPD captain. “This is not the mayor of Blasio. It is about the future of our city, and it is my main goal. “
Angry mobs destroyed property throughout Middle Village on November 19, 2021.
Earlier on Saturday, Adams released a joint statement with public counsel Jumaane Williams and comptroller-elect Brad Lander demanding tougher gun laws nationwide.
“The Rittenhouse decision should be the last horrific proof we need to overturn dangerous gun laws in America and reject the culture of hatred and prejudice that leads to violence,” the statement said. “Whether it’s in southern Wisconsin or eastern New York, guns sold in one state are used to create death and chaos in the streets of another every day. “
During the Middle Village melee, the would-be protesters were followed by cops as they made their way through the neighborhood, many dressed in black with their faces covered, much like known “Black Bloc” anarchists. to cover his face and dressed in black to destroy property, according to police sources.
They allegedly threw trash cans at cops, tore American flags and “Blue Lives Matters” from homes, damaged mailboxes and cars, NYPD officials and sources said.
One of the suspected rioters was caught carrying an ax and hammer.
Sources said an officer saw Freeman point his finger at a silver Chevrolet sedan, which Edmonds allegedly jumped on, smashing his front windshield.
While Edmonds was in custody, Freeman jumped onto the back of the officer who had arrested him, police said, before resisting his arrest himself.
Edmonds’ father Bruce, 73, said his son was a Rutgers University graduate and college professor in Freehold, New Jersey, who used to go to protests and was “A good guy, passionate”.
He was not surprised that his son had been arrested, the father said, asking him, “Is he okay? “
A man told cops that he had previously witnessed Freeman ‘Fk You’ spray paint on his white SUV and covered the car’s ‘Thin Blue Line’ pro-police sticker with spray paint. black paint, sources said. The damage totaled over $ 4,000.
The 75-year-old military veteran who owns the car said he felt “both angry and sad” and the locals seemed to have lost respect for one another.
“If you have a flag in a planter, they tear it up,” said the man, who asked that his name not be used. “They’re vandalizing your car… we just lost all respect for each other.
“I don’t know, but some people in the area said they thought this vandalism was directed at Mr. Holden because his personal home is a few blocks from here,” he said. .
“So maybe it was a display of discontent against him, it was somebody’s guess. “
Freeman had a can of spray paint, police said. He and Edmonds have been charged with riots, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, obstructing government administration, reckless endangering property, illegal assembly and traffic violations for walking down the street.
Freeman, who is also charged with graffiti in Friday’s incident, was arrested in September for allegedly vandalizing a pillar at the Myrtle Avenue subway station, sources said.
A protester clashes with an NYPD officer as he walks down the street during a protest against Kyle Rittenhouse’s not guilty verdict near Barclays Center in Brooklyn on November 19, 2021 .. via.
Lefkowitz, 38, was arrested in possession of an ax and hammer. He faces charges of first degree riots, illegal assembly, obstructing government administration, possession of weapons and walking on the roadway.
Wattley, 28, and Davis, 31, have been charged with first-degree riots, unlawful assembly, obstructing government administration and walking on the pavement.
The five suspected rioters have been released pending future court dates, cops said.
Additional report by Kieran Ungemach and David Meyer
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