YouTuber Good Guy Activism was arrested Tuesday night in Manhattan after refusing to present his identification to police while he was holding an open bottle of beer while in public.
In the original footage from Good Guy Activism’s YouTube channel, Good Guy Activism and his friends were standing on the streets of Manhattan in the rain on New Year’s Eve, eventually coming to stand near an ATM near West 3rd Street and MacDougal Street.
The group crossed the street to go to another bar when they encountered two police officers standing at the doors of the bar. One of the people in the group briefly went behind the officers while the officers asked for Good Guy Activism’s identification.
Good Guy Activism refused to show his identification and said that one of the officers was holding an “open drink” as he was holding a coffee. He then said the open beer in his hand was also a container of coffee while again refusing to identify. After three refusals, he was placed under arrest.
The YouTuber passed his phone to another friend and a scuffle broke out as the officers attempted to take Good Guy Activism into custody. The friend who had gone behind the officers was also apparently arrested, while YouTuber BZWatchDog reported that a third member of the party was also arrested.
BZWatchDog reported on his Wednesday livestream that Good Guy Activism, “David New York” and IamgodNy were all arrested in the incident. BZWatchDog and co-host Wild Journey Nation Free Press rallied against the police, with Wild Journey claiming the police were “out to get” the auditors because they were auditors.
The pair also demanded that the police de-escalate their biases before dealing with auditors, claiming that Good Guy Activism was in the right for refusing to identify because the police were “biased.”
Both failed to look up if police were justified in asking for identification.
Contrary to BZWatchDog and others’ outraged reporting, holding an open container of alcohol in public is illegal in New York City. Because it is a crime to hold an open container of alcohol, police have the right to ask for identification.
Having an open container of alcohol in public usually carries a $25.00 fine and or up to one day in jail in the city. Good Guy Activism was released Wednesday night and apparently threatened a lawsuit in a now privated livestream.
It is unclear if Good Guy Activism will follow through with a civil lawsuit against the police at this time.
