Videos Of A Delivery Worker Being Detained By Law Enforcement After Curfew Are Going Viral
With the implementation of city-wide curfews in some areas in response to ongoing protests, food delivery workers are unclear about how the curfews apply to them and their jobs. An official New York City document dated June 3 defined food deliveries as essential and therefore exempt from the 8 p.m. curfew, but a video on Twitter of a Caviar delivery person getting detained by New York police around 8:30 p.m. on June 4 is going viral. Caviar is an online food delivery service that is owned by DoorDash.
The video shows a number of law enforcement officers surrounding a delivery worker, who has a Caviar bag visibly attached to his bike. The video was tweeted out with a caption noting that "at least three white shirts (commanding officers) are present."
A similar video, which, per The Verge, city officials have suggested is a recording of the same incident from a different angle, shows at least six officers surrounding the delivery person and his bike. "Are you serious? Look, look, look, I'm not even doing anything," the worker told the officers. One of them said, "You're violating curfew," to which he replied, "It tells me on the app that I can show you guys something."
In the NYC document, it states those deemed essential workers are not required to present any specific form of ID. "If you are stopped, you only need to identify yourself as an essential worker. If you have them, you could also show a work ID, a business card, any other official documents, or even a work uniform, but these are not required," the document read.
Both Mayor de Blasio and Caviar have responded to videos of the altercation. In a tweet, Mayor DeBlasio said he spoke on the phone with the NYPD police commissioner about the incident, saying it was unacceptable.
Caviar has since announced that they are investigating what happened, are in contact with city officials, and are ready to offer their community with support.
An NYPD spokesperson told The Verge that the delivery worker was detained and then released after his credentials were verified.
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