Criminal Justice
Colors Provoked Police, Arrestees Say
Some New Yorkers arrested at last week’s Puerto Rican Day Parade say their only offense was wearing gold and black clothing, the colors of the Latin Kings street gang.
Civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel is advising some of those arrested, mostly for unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct. He said at a news conference yesterday that it is improper to make arrests on the basis of gang status, the New York Times reports.
He also told the Times in an interview that it is counterintuitive to make arrests for unlawful assembly at a parade.
A police spokesman defended the arrests, saying they were based on conduct rather than gang membership.
