If you happen to be in New York City tomorrow and feel like fighting for your right to pop into a porno shop and get a blowjob through a glory hole with another consenting adult, we suggest you show up tomorrow from 12PM – 1PM at Mayor Bloomberg’s house, located at 17 E. 79th Street. The NYPD have been falsely arresting scores of gay men at stores like Blue Door Video on 1st Avenue. Older men are approached by an undercover police officer who convinces them to leave the store and go back to their apartment for sex. Outside of the store, the undercover cops tell the men they’d like to pay them to have sex with them, and if the men don’t respond, they’re arrested. We spoke with protest leader Robert Pinter, who was himself a victim of false arrest.

BUTT: Tell me why you’re leading the protest?

Robert: After I was arrested and got in touch with Duncan Osbourne at Gay City News, he started investigating and found out that my arrest was not an isolated arrest, there have been a whole host of arrests of men like me. I’m 53 year old, and men in their forties and fifties are being arrested at these stores.  Most of the men have no prior arrests.

It seems like this is a kind of continuation of the Guiliani policies that shut down scores of sex shops and porn theaters in Times Square and around the city in the 90’s, right?

Yes. In fact they used my arrest to bring nuisance abatement suits, and they’re using these arrests to try and close these stores down, because they can go to the stores and say that their businesses promote prostitution, and many of these arrests are false arrests.

Can you tell me what happened when you were arrested?

I was in the store shopping for a DVD, and I was approached by a very charming young Asian man, very personable, about half my age.  He iniated conversation with me and we decided to head out to engage in what I thought was consensual sex. He said he had his car parked nearby, and we were going to go out to his car. Just before we left he said very suddenly and quickly, “Oh I want to pay you 50 dollars to suck your dick.”

What did you think when he said that?

At first I thought he was asking me for fifty dollars, which would have made more sense since he was half my age. When I realized then, that he wanted topay me, I thought it was very strange. I went outside and thought okay if I get another strange vibe from him I’m just going to leave and go home, I was two blocks from my work. So we exit the store, and crossed the street, First avenue, and I was pushed against the fence by a group of guys. I thought it was a gang, I thought I was being robbed and I had been set up. They grabbed my wallet, and finally I saw the one that was orchestrating this scenario, and dangling from his neck was a police badge. They never identified themselves as police officers, never said I was under arrest and never read them my miranda rights. When I asked why I was being arrested they never said why, I asked four or five times. Finally when they had clicked the handcuffs they said, “Why the fuck do you think we’re arresting you? Loitering for the purpose of soliciting prostitution.” I said, “You have got to be kidding me. I was in the store shopping for a DVD minding my business, when your officer approached me, butted his nose into my business and created this whole scenario.”  Then they loaded me into the police van.

How many men have been arrested in similar scenarios?

Well at the Blue Door Video store in 2008 there have been 12 or 13 arrests. 40 and over with no prior arrests.

What has been the police response?

This past week we had a meeting with the police, they’ve been saying we only go after stores where there’s been complaints. There’s been an outcry from the community which is why we’re having this protest.

Thank you. For more info email Stopthearrests