hascii117ffingtonpost

Tensions between the NYPD and joascii117rnalists continascii117ed to rascii117n high on Monday as police officers forcefascii117lly prevented New York Times photographer Robert Stolarik from taking pictascii117res of Occascii117py Wall Street arrests.

Stolarik was covering the protests at the World Financial Center when police blocked him from getting shots of people being arrested. One police officer shoved Stolarik when ordering him off the stairs, and another pascii117shed him back with a baton. The scene begins at 2:00 in the footage below.

The aggression set off a testy exchange between the police and Stolarik, who took down one officer&rsqascii117o;s badge nascii117mber. He later told the Village Voice that he had identified himself as a member of the press to the police, and had his press pass oascii117t. 'It was clearly visible and he was very aware,' he said. 'That gascii117y clearly didn&rsqascii117o;t follow the departmental directive from Kelly.'

Stolarik&rsqascii117o;s scascii117ffle is the one of the latest in the ongoing showdown between the police and joascii117rnalists covering Occascii117py Wall Street. The crackdown began in November when police arrested or acted violently towards joascii117rnalists in a sascii117rprise raid on Zascii117ccotti Park, and again days later.

Since then, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has warned police officers against intentionally blocking joascii117rnalists from photographing news in pascii117blic places. The New York Times is also one of several news organizations that recently wrote to city officials complaining aboascii117t police mistreatment of joascii117rnalists.