Videos of New York City Police escorting a nine-year-old girl from the Museum of NAtural history made waves on Twitter on Friday.
On-lookers told the two officers “You are traumatizing this child” as they lead her down the museum steps.
The child allegedly was denied entry to the museum because she did not have a vaccination card.
The girl, dressed in a winter coat and a white hat, looked distressed and was helped into the back of a squad car.
NYPD arrested a 9 year old child in NYC because she didn’t have a vax card in a museum. We are destroying lives. This has to stop! pic.twitter.com/SaHfcHfVl7
— Yael Becker (@yael_becker) January 20, 2022
“Where are you taking her?” called one woman, who filmed the police on her cell phone.
“Just because she refused to show her papers… of her experimental gene therapy,” said the man recording.
Other footage shows five protestors who oppose the vaccination mandate being escorted down the museum’s steps in handcuffs by officers. They had been arrested inside the museum.
#BREAKING 5 Antimandate protesters arrested and 1 child walked out by police from Museum of Natural History. #HappeningNow pic.twitter.com/6tcjmE7seA
— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) January 19, 2022
“This is your fight, NYPD,” yelled a man watching the crowd. The officer did not respond.
The videos, which appear to have been captured on Jan. 19, were widely denounced on Twitter.
New York – armed robbery a misdemeanor
No penalty for turnstile jumping
Decriminalize theft
But arrest a 9 year old child in a museum for no vaccine card?— Firewall Bill (@FirewallB) January 20, 2022
The police are not allowed to enforce mandates that have not been signed into law.where are all the lawyers jumping on this?
— rev1nra (@rev1nra) January 20, 2022
Police that do this deserve no one's support.
— Elizabeth (@Elizabe55101574) January 21, 2022
I suppose if she were robbing a gas station at gun point they’d just stand there and watch.
— America First (@americafirstA2) January 21, 2022
According to Oliya Scootercaster, a freelance journalist, the child’s mother was among those arrested for protesting the mandate at the museum.
Said mother of the child was placed under arrest, and the child was taken in a seperate NYPD car, the child did not appear to be under arrest. pic.twitter.com/VQDg9vZjfp
— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) January 20, 2022
Scootercaster also reported that the museum has closed its front entrance hours after the protestors were arrested.
The child’s identity remains unknown. She was referred to as Jayla in a post sharing footage of her reunion with her family on Jan. 20.
Silence is compliance.
Those who stayed silent will not be forgotten.
Protect all children even if they are not yours.
JAYLA WE LOVE YOU 🥰😍✌🏽❤🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/lrl2hXsEfD— Joanna of the family Davidson (@FreeSou75177820) January 20, 2022
The Museum of Natural history made headlines this week after removing the statue of President Theodore Roosevelt, which critics had claimed depicted a “racial hierarchy.”
