Everyday New Yorkers can be heroes without a badge or running into a burning building. Take for example, MTA planner and punk rock singer Daniel Zajackowski, of Marvin Berry and the New Sound, who tried to point out a dangerous intersection in Bushwick to some police officers, and was arrested for his trouble. From the New York Post:
Zajackowski, 32, of Brooklyn, was strolling with his girlfriend along Bushwick Avenue last January when he noticed an intersection that he felt was unsafe. The MTA employee assistant planner and Hunter College graduate recalled reading an article about the hazardous crossroads and spotted a group of officers in the area, according to his suit.
“As a concerned citizen, Mr. Zajackowski approached these officers…in order to discuss traffic safety at the intersection,” the suit states. But instead of thanking him for his input, the cops handcuffed Zajackowski in front of his horrified girlfriend and put him in a police van for a ride to the local precinct, his suit claims. Zajackowski, who performs “Know My Role” among other songs with the group Marvin Berry and the New Sound, claims he was busted for just trying to help the public.
So many questions. How many MTA employees are also in punk bands? Which intersection was this, and has it been fixed since last January? Why were those police so grumpy? In the mean time, we salute you, Daniel Zajackowski, and hope this hasn’t put a dent in your one man campaign for safer streets.