A video recently went viral showing NYPD officers surrounding a mother and her son at a table in a Queen’s Applebee’s before kicking them out of the restaurant for not having vaccination cards.
The officers stood surrounding the family’s table at the restaurant in the Queens Centre Mall. An anti-vaccine protest was reportedly occurring after a “sit-in” was planned to fight against vaccine rules.
In the video, an officer can be heard saying “Unless you have vaccination cards, you have to exit the restaurant”. The police were reportedly called by the restaurant because of the protest.
The little boy appears frightened and looks like he is going to cry as he covers his face. Demonstrators in the background can be heard yelling at the officers talking to the family.
“Scaring a child. Traumatizing a child. Hope you feel good about yourselves NYPD,” one person said in the video. “This is disgusting, this is gross,’ said another.
In New York City, vaccination proof for anyone aged five and older is required for indoor dining. An officer told the protesters “If you leave voluntarily you will not have charges pressed against you”. “Otherwise you will be arrested for trespass. This will be your only warning”.
The NYPD said “Upon arrival, officers were informed by the manager that individuals entered, refused to prove vaccination status in compliance with NYS Mandate and requested for the individuals to be removed from the location”.
“The police added that four people were arrested and charged with criminal trespass. But the mother and child were not charged,” according to Daily Mail.
The day before, another protest occurred at the Cheesecake Factory in the same mall. Around 50 anti-vaccine mandate protesters gathered for a sit-in after they were refused service for not proving their vaccination status.