NEW HAVEN — A shouting match at the Occupy New Haven encampment over improper displaying of the American flag resulted in the arrests of three people Friday.
Zequir Berishai, 69, of Waterbury, was angry protesters were flying American flags upside-down and confronted the protesters Friday evening, waving his own, properly oriented flag.
Police arrested Berishai and two protesters on breach of peace charges, police spokesman Officer David Hartman said. Witnesses, some of them protesters, said Berishai arrived in a pick-up truck painted red, white and blue and covered in flags, patriotic decals and bumper stickers with slogans like “God Bless America” and “Repeal Obama-care.” He allegedly approached the encampment and started yelling at the occupiers.
“He comes over calling us traitors and pieces of (excrement),” said Occupy New Haven activist Don Montano. “He had a nice little speech he made to our head of security, Moose. He was yelling about our flag being upside down. He got louder and louder and louder.”
The witnesses said the man was waving the flag pole at people and acting aggressively.
Earlier this week, the Occupy New Haven movement made headlines when it
decided to fly the American flag upside-down
, a universal signal of distress. The argument made by protesters was that the country, plagued by what they say is income disparity and economic injustice, is in serious distress.
The move, however, angered some people, who argued that hanging the flag upside down amounts to desecration and is disrespectful.
Protesters said they did not intend to be disrespectful or anti-American, but only exercised their First Amendment right to make a statement about the direction of the country.
Activist Ben Aubin, who captured the incident on video, said one of the protesters arrested was Broderick “Moose” Lee, 28, of New Haven. Hartman said Berishai and a third person, Shawn Nardell, 25, also were arrested. Police did not have information on where Nardell resides.
Aubin claimed Lee was crossing the street to point out to Berishai that the flags hanging from his truck were tattered. Berishai became more agitated and shoved Lee, according to Aubin.
After the arrests, about a dozen Occupy New Haven protesters marched from the encampment to the police station, chainting, “Incarceration is not the answer!”
A young male passer-by wearing a blazer shouted back, “What are you accomplishing?” A protester responded, “You’re watching the world change, brother,” to which the blazer-wearing young man said, “I am the 1 percent.”
New Haven-based attorney Irving Pinsky, who has been volunteering with the group, disapproved of the police handling of the situation.
“I see a terrible problem with our system that allows a person to come and cause problems with peaceful people, and both sides get arrested,” he said.
Montano agreed.
“This represents a bigger problem,” he said. “If you think about it, per the law, if you are involved in a fight, even if you don’t throw a punch and you’re a victim, you still get arrested. And I believe that’s why the victim abuse problem is so bad in Connecticut.”
Hartman said police received a report of a fight at the corner of College and Chapel streets at 4:18 p.m. Berishai reportedly showed up at the encampment wearing clothes made of a flag, Hartman said. The man walked to toward the encampment, but did not enter it, and then started yelling about his dismay over the improperly displayed flag. Hartman said protesters eventually yelled back. He said the incident was not a major fight, but officers were concerned that escalation could result in a more serious fight.
No one resisted arrest and Hartman said the incident should not be misconstrued as a conflict between police and Occupy New Haven.
“We’ve had an amazing rapport with this Occupy group and we haven’t had a single incident or conflict with them,” he said.
Protester Jennifer Drury said she felt that police just wanted to take everyone involved in the altercation to the station to have a conversation on neutral ground.
According to Drury, Lee was released Friday night and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, but police could not confirm late Friday whether any of those arrested had been released.
Zequir Berishai went to the site not because he was upset at the possible loss of Social Security or the high cost of living due to the greed of others. But rather wearing clothes made with the American flag, which is so much more patriotic, he railed against an upside down flag. Why doesn't he see he is part of the 99% and join the occupiers?..They are there for him.
Two of the peaceful occupiers were taken into custody along with Berishai to talk with police. On its face it sounds logical but was it? Could there have been something more to it?
However, it is good to know it is better to cut up the flag to fashion clothing but wave it up side down is Unamerican. I JUST DON'T GET IT.
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