The individual who was arrested Monday night after jumping over a police barricade outside of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is Christian Daniel Smalls, a cofounder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union.
The 37-year-old Smalls was arrested at 8:15 p.m. by New York City police officers and taken into custody in the Central Park precinct, according to a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department. Smalls was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, trespass, disorderly contact and failure to obey traffic devices, according to a NYPD spokesperson. He was awaiting his arraignment Tuesday. Smalls is a resident of Lodi, N.J.
His identity was confirmed by Derrick Palmer, cofounder of the Amazon Labor Union. Smalls’ executive assistant Julieta Morales said he was due before a judge Tuesday.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ and Lauren Sánchez Bezos’ lead sponsorship of the Met Gala and the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition “Costume Art” has sparked protests in New York City in recent days, as well as social media debate about corporate greed and workers’ rights. Earlier this week a LED video message calling for improved workers’ rights was projected on the exterior of the Manhattan building where Bezos has an apartment.
