Last week there was a melee in Union Square When Social media influencer Kai Cenat told his followers that there would be a free giveaway. Thousands of people gathered to be part of the scene.
Cenat showed late.
Nothing was given away.
The crowd got out of control and the steroided NYPD freaked out and declared a Level 4 alert.
The crowd got more out of control
The New York Times called it a melee.
The Post used the word RIOT.
They blamed the young people and arrested 60 as well as Ke Cenat for rioting.
I wasn’t there.
But as Mayor Daley said of the 1968 Days of Rage police riot, “The police aren’t there to preserve disorder, they’re there to preserve disorder.”
That melee the other day was just a melee.
Back in the 80s I lived in Paris. Doorman at Les Bains, a famed club.
1985 the students rebelled against the Socialist government for hiking the tuitions. I had just scored some drugs from Ali on the Boulevard St. Germain and wandered through a fascist mob who was overturning a black BMW. Inside was the minister of culture. Jacques Lang. I shouted, “Arrete.” They did and I pulled the minister and his driver from the vehicle. Sent on their way I turned to the mob and told them to burn the car.
They firebombed the BMW and I went to the Cafe le Flore. A glass of red and the smell of a burning car.
A minute later the CRS flooded the Boulevard. The fascists fought off Les Flics. I didn’t move an inch from my balloon rouge. Now that was a riot.