Chuck Park, a candidate for Congress challenging U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, was arrested during a peaceful May Day protest Friday around 3 p.m. for blocking pedestrian traffic in front of the New York Stock Exchange.
Courtesy Chuck for Queens
Chuck Park, a candidate for Congress challenging U.S. Rep. Grace Meng in Queens, was arrested by the NYPD Strategic Response Group while peacefully protesting alongside Sunrise Movement during a May Day demonstration outside the New York Stock Exchange around 3 p.m. on on Friday, May 1.
Park’s team said he was released about three hours later around 6 p.m. He was charged with failure to disperse and blocking pedestrian traffic — charges his team said were “commonly associated” with acts of civil disobedience — and issued a desk appearance ticket.
According to a public information officer, Park was arrested alongside 24 other protesters for blocking multiple entrances to the building.
The officer said 23 of the individuals arrested at the demonstration were issued criminal court summonses. Park and another individual were issued desk appearance tickets.
The officer did not provide additional details of the circumstances that preceded the arrests, nor did they confirm whether protesters were given warnings before the NYPD took action.
“We can’t take it anymore,” Park can be heard saying in a video of his arrest shared by his team. “We have to tax the rich. I’m being arrested because billionaires have bought our democracy. We gotta tax the rich. Working people of Queens, we gotta fight back.”
According to Park’s team, more than 100 New Yorkers were present at the May 1 rally, which was intended to commemorate May Day, or International Workers’ Day.
A spokesperson said his attendance reflects Park’s longstanding commitment to standing with working people and fighting for economic justice.
“For too long the establishment has prioritized billionaires and corporate oligarchs over the interests of millions of laborers and union members who keep NYC running,” his team wrote to QNS, echoing Park’s words during his arrest. “It’s time to tax the rich and make billionaires finally pay their fair share.”
The team added that Park’s participation in this peaceful protest is “fully aligned with the values at the core of his campaign” and pointed to a statement he made ahead of the event.
“May Day honors the working class activists who fought and bled for the eight-hour work day,” Park’s statement read. “It’s also a call to action. Action. Not statements and tweets.”