Protestors shut down a NYC Department of Transportation press conference announcing the completion of a project to transform a Williamsburg street into a permanent bike lane Tuesday, with one irate man calling for “investigations” into Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
“You are selling out New York City! You are selling New York City out! That’s what you’re doing!” an irate man yelled shortly after DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez stepped up to a podium in Brooklyn Tuesday.
“All you guys are selling out New York! You are a disgrace and we want you investigated! We ask an investigation of you. You are dirty! You are dirty!” he shouted into Rodriguez’s face.
The man appeared to be Raul Rivera, an outspoken advocate for taxi and limousine commission (TLC) drivers in NYC.
He went on to say Rodriguez and Adams “sell out the drivers” while demanding they not cut any ribbons on the new bike corridor.
Rodriguez’s entourage began to chant “We love open streets!” as Rivera continued, but as more people who appeared to be protestors arrived the commissioner was to halt the presser.
Footage from an X account associated with Rivera’s NYC Drivers Unite showed the activist being taken away in cuffs by NYPD officers, allowing Rodriguez to resume his remarks.
Berry Street has been closed to normal car traffic since at least 2020, according to News 12, but its recent transformation by the DOT into a designated two-way bike boulevard has solidified its position as a car-free zone.
It is unclear exactly what Rivera’s qualms with the Berry Street project were — he was not specific during his demonstration on Tuesday.
A TikTok account associated with the activist shows numerous disruptive demonstrations involving megaphones, along with disruptions at City Council meetings calling for reformations of TLC policy.
During footage from one hearing in early November, Rivera was tossed out of the chamber as he shouted down a council member and accused the city of failing its for-hire drivers.
Councilman Bob Holden, a representative for District 30, expressed sympathy for Rivera’s frustrations.
“New Yorkers are growing increasingly frustrated with the Department of Transportation Alternatives wasting time and money on unpopular projects,” he told The Post.
“Instead of addressing crucial road maintenance and implementing common-sense safety measures, this DOT, filled with ex-de Blasio personnel, continues to make navigating our streets an even greater headache.”
Projects like the Berry Street bike boulevard — a part of the city’s Open Streets program, which shuts down busy roads from car traffic in favor of pedestrians and cyclists — have faced backlash from others.
In April, a group of disabled New Yorkers sued the city over the program, alleging it discriminated against people who need cars to access their homes and the city.
Open Streets was first adopted in 2020 as a measure to bring New Yorkers together outdoors during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
It was made permanent in 2021 by the City Council, and this year Mayor Adams expanded the program across about 300 city blocks.