4 NOVEMBER 25, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Five arrested after riots erupt in Middle Village
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Police arrested fi ve individuals
on the night of Friday, Nov. 19,
aft er alleged extremists reacting
to the verdict of the high-profi le Kyle
Rittenhouse trial wreaked havoc in
Middle Village.
On Friday aft ernoon, a jury found
Rittenhouse not guilty of homicide, attempted
homicide and other charges
relating to the 2020 shootings in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. This acquittal sparked
national debate and unrest as protests
erupted throughout the country.
According to NYPD, 40 to 50 people
gathered in Crowley Park in Elmhurst
going town to town, destroying property
and wreaking havoc. Law enforcement
sources said that around 8:30 p.m.
Friday, offi cers observed a group of
people marching through Middle Village,
screaming and throwing garbage
cans into the path of police vehicles
to prevent officers from following
them. The group also ran up to several
houses to remove American fl ags,
break mailboxes and damage multiple
parked cars.
Councilman Robert Holden said rioters
targeted his district for its support
of police.
“I voted against defunding the police
in the City Council, unlike many of my
colleagues,” Holden said. “I saw what
was going to happen if we did that, and
it has happened. If my community is
going to be targeted, we’re going to
fi ght back.”
Holden said that any mention of
these aggravators referred to as protesters
are inaccurate.
“Don’t call them protesters. They
were rioters,” Holden said. “They didn’t
chant; they didn’t have signs. They
were just coming into our community,
all dressed in black, only showing their
eyes and breaking things, throwing
things and stomping on cars.”
The fi ve men arrested were from
Brooklyn and New Jersey, according to
the NYPD. Charges included reckless
endangerment of property, unlawful
assembly and criminal possession of
a weapon.
According to NYPD, offi cers confi scated
a hatchet, ax and spray paint. All
fi ve rioters received orders to appear
in the New York City Criminal Court
for arraignment.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams came to
stand with other local officials in
Middle Village for a press conference
Saturday, Nov. 20, to support the neighborhood
targeted the night before.
“I was deeply disturbed and angry
over what happened this weekend. It
is one thing to protest at an elected offi
cial’s offi ce, it’s one thing to come to
a hearing and voice your concern, but
to come to a neighborhood and openly
destroy property, be disruptive, that
is unacceptable in our city,” Adams
said. “We are not going to allow this to
happen, and we’re going to send a clear
message.”
Holden criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio
in his remarks Saturday and also
tweeted about his statement, saying it
fueled the fi re.
“Our lamest of ducks mayor apparently
thinks he knows better than the
jury in this case,” Holden tweeted in
response to the mayor’s post. “This is
no time for dangerous rhetoric that
might stir up civil unrest in our city,
just to try to help is quixotic run for
governor.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, “This
verdict is disgusting and it sends a horrible
message to this country. Where is
the justice in this.”
A car was spray-painted in Middle Village riot following Kyle Rittenhouse
trial result on Nov. 19. Photo courtesy of Holden’s offi ce
Ridgewood
Property Owners
& Civic Association
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