Journal Entry #2: Althuogh it is New Years Eve, ULA members keep up the weekly demonstrations in front of Cafe Goodfellas. The following is a description of the problems protesters encountered with New Haven Police on this evening in front of Cafe Goodfellas.
Statement of John Lugo for Internal Ethics and Values of New Haven Police Dept. In reference to police report #80196
On December 31 at 12:00 pm. I was one of the organizers for the New Haven Workers Association picket line against Goodfellas café, located at 759 State Street. We have a complaint against this restaurant for their continuous practice of not paying their workers. This was the second time that we organized this type of action against this particular place.
On December 31, 2010, we were doing our picket line and 15 minutes later a few police officers from the NHPD show up in several cars including a Van.
Sargent Anastasio (shield #403) and Officer Morris (shield #71) approached us and ask to stop our action. Sgt Anastasio ask for the person in charge and I replied that I was one of the organizers. Then he told me: “Lugo, let me speak with you.”
He called me aside and asked me what was going on. I explained to him our reason for doing the demonstration, and he stated that we already did make our point on the previous demonstration two weeks before. I explained that our group decided to hold this demonstration every week, because the owner of Goodfellas is a continuous violator of the labor laws in New Haven and currently owes four workers more than $23,000 and has ignored our request for these unpaid wages.
Then, Sgt Anastasio stated that if we continued doing this type of action that would destroy business and that would not be good for either the workers or the owners. He stated that he was ready to arrest us, but because we were behaving well he would not arrest us, but he was going to write a report.
He asked me to tell everybody to give him our names, addresses and phone numbers. He then stated that the owners of businesses of New Haven could create blacklist with our names and the worker’s names, and pass around this blacklist to other business owners so that workers who complained would be hired by no restaurants or businesses in New Haven. I replied that this sounded like a threat. He said that he was not threatening us, he was just saying that owners can get a copy of the police report through a Freedom of Information request and could use it against us. I said nothing but I was scared and disappointed that Sgt. Anastasio was telling me this, because it is his job to maintain public safety no to imply a threat against New Haven residents.
Also, the threat that he would arrest us the next time we appeared at the restaurant had no basis in the law. We were six people doing a quiet picket without blocking the sidewalk or business entrances. When we went to City Hall to inquire if we needed a permit, the City replied that we did not need a permit to have a moving picket line on the sidewalk.
When Sgt. Anastasio took the names, phone numbers and addresses of the protesters, threatened us with arrest although he had no legal basis, and made comments about a blacklist, he made it impossible for some protesters to return because they fear what the police officers will do. This infringes on our First Amendment right to peacefully assemble in a public place. This intimidation has no place in our democracy. It should not be the job of New Haven police to suppress dissent.
COME OUT IN SOLIDARITY WITH CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO PROTEST LEGALLY!
COME OUT IN SOLIDARITY WITH CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO PROTEST LEGALLY!
