A viral YouTube video, which has garnered more than 5 million views so far, starts with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issuing a stern warning to citizens, that the NYPD will arrest anyone who defies his city wide emergency winter storm declaration, where he ordered no unnecessary travel.
"If you are a citizen out driving, you are subject to arrest, it's as simple as that," Mayor de Blasio tells reporters during a news conference.
The same video ends with NYPD cops ignoring one individual's defiance of that order, and looking the other way.
Literally.
The video I'm referring to is YouTuber Casey Neistat's latest creation.
Neistat and a crew of three, including his brother, took to the streets of NYC during a winter storm, defying Mayor de Blasio's emergency declaration, and proving that as long as you're not a black man in NYC, you can pretty much get away with anything.
Including defying an emergency notice and using a 4,000 pound 4x4 vehicle with oversized tires to recklessly drive around snow covered streets and put innocent lives at risk.
Let me explain.
In Neistat's video, he and and his crew snowboard and ski, as they hold on to ropes and cables attached to the back of his black Jeep Wrangler, again, not only defying a state of emergency notice, but also putting countless lives at risk, including pedestrians and young children.
Children which Neistat was very careful in editing out of his video, but which can be seen in a second video he made titled "Making of / SNOWBOARDING WITH NYPD."
Neistat's latest creation ends with an NYPD vehicle flashing its lights and sounding it's emergency sirens, as it pulls alongside Neistat, who is now driving.
"Yes officer?", Neistat is seen addressing the officer.
"Someone complained about you, so we're gonna act like we're talking to you," an NYPD cop tells Neistat.
To which Casey Neistat responds; "You guys are awesome."
"We're gonna act like we're talking to you" ?
I'm disgusted.
Ok.
Let me say something here.
I'm actually a fan of Casey Neistat's work.
In fact, one of my favorite videos of his is titled "Bike Lanes", where Neistat challenges the NYPD's well known ticket quotas, specifically their targeting of bicyclists.
But right is right, and wrong is wrong.
Which is why, as someone who has dedicated the past 20-plus years of my life to exposing police misconduct and corruption, again, I'm disgusted.
I find the disparity in the way that the NYPD treats a white, rich celebrity versus, say, a black or Latino citizen, disgusting.
Especially when you consider that it was this same police department, the NYPD, whose officers choked a man to death for selling loose cigarettes.
Casey Neistat's video is yet another example of the NYPD's hypocrisy and double standard when it comes to their selective law enforcement and preferential treatment, based on the color of your skin.
Casey Neistat and friend recklessly snowboard through streets, defying state of emergency, proving that as long as you're not black in NYC, you can pretty much get away with anything.
Click link below to watch Casey Neistat's video
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