2011: The NYI responded to multiple reports that Zuccotti Park was being occupied by a small group of activists and protestors.
With these reports, the NYI also received a tip that a group claiming to be the hacker collective known as “Anonymous” was publicly threatening violence during the occupation. This seemed out of character for Anonymous, but the team felt compelled to get eyes on the situation.
They moved into the area undercover and began to talk with protestors and police for more intel.
Shortly after this, they came up against Occupy’s self-proclaimed “Night Security” team, who also claimed to be U.S. military veterans. It soon became clear that they were taking advantage of the group, not only neglecting their jobs, but also stealing from activists’ camps and threatening them.
The NYI ousted them, and took over night security as a neutral watch group, with the approval of the seniors of the organization. They placed guards to protect the food and resources area, and patrolled the perimeter for weeks, between the hours of approximately 10pm to 5am.
During OWS they:
- Apprehended a rapist wanted in 3 states, placed a citizen's arrest on him and delivered him to the police.
- Discovered that police were releasing mental health patients into Zuccotti Park to disrupt the organization, and placed members with cameras at those drop points to stop it.
- Shared training with activists and expanded the security team.
- Protected belongings and tents from thieves and vandals.
- Verbally de-escalated numerous altercations that may have caused a police crackdown or park shutdown.
(It is prudent to note that a main organizer approached the NYI and offered $5000 for official security protections, but the team turned it down so they could remain a neutral party.)
After some time and training, the NYI saw that the OWS internal security team was established well enough, and deemed it time to withdraw.