Bob CollinsEvery protest movement has its budding media personalities, but for the the Occupy Wall Street movement it appears to be “Hipster Cop,” a community affairs detective — Rick Lee — getting the love of a few protesters and a lot of media.
“I will reveal that I wear skinny jeans off-duty,” he apparently told the New York Times,
Detective Lee is 45 but looks much younger. He is slim, with a shaggy hairstyle, cool-nerd eyeglasses and an ironic smile. His wardrobe usually includes cardigan sweaters, glasses and skinny ties to go along with his skinny trousers.
The Sparrow Project, which put this video together, says he’s more like a Trojan Horse than a hipster cop.
In the big picture of the struggle against corporate greed Lee is nothing more then a pawn, but it is important to note law enforcements attempt to coerce and destabilize our movements. Even though it is hysterical to read comedian Jamie Killstein come to his defense saying “Guys! Stop making fun of #hipstercop! He’s trying to find himself.” or to read the myriad tumblr references to his style, it is important to remember Hipster Cop is part of the process of intimidation, ridicule, and violence being levied against us.
Hipster Cop from Sparrow Media on Vimeo.
The detective is clearly not one of the 1% the protesters are opposing. And, judging by the Sparrow Project, he’s not one of the 99% they claim to represent. He is a man without a percent.
