BLM Activist Disrupts Proceedings With Deliberate Release of Hundreds of Cockroaches Shuts Down New York Courthouse!
A courthouse in upstate NY was shut down for the day and all proceedings halted after a BLM activist released “hundreds of cockroaches” into the building!
The Albany City Court had to be closed for fumigation because of the incident that took place during an arraignment on Tuesday, June 7.
According to the Associated Press, the clash broke out during proceedings in the court for four people for an arrest at the state Capitol. A defendant who started to film the courtroom proceedings was told to stop. In the altercation that followed, hundreds of cockroaches brought into the courthouse in plastic containers were released, according to the state court system.
It has since been discovered that the release was deliberate and premeditated by a well-known far-left activist that co-founded the Black Lives Matter chapter in Upstate New York.
Court officers arrested 34-year-old Clyanna Lightbourn and charged her with obstruction of governmental administration, tampering with physical evidence, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, according to Albany PD. It is currently unclear who released the cockroaches into the courthouse.
During the arraignment of four activists, including Lightbourn, audience members began protesting inside of the courtroom, according to the Washington Times.
It was at this point that Lightbourn, who worked for the New York Senate Democratic Conference Services Office and is a statewide civil rights organizer for Citizen Action of New York, began filming the disruption with her phone.
Sources told the Washington Times that Lightbourn attempted to get her phone back from officers after it had been confiscated, and was subsequently arrested.
At some point during the commotion inside the courtroom, cockroaches that had reportedly been smuggled into the courtroom in plastic containers were released.
The bug release was being investigated while the courthouse was closed for the rest of the day for fumigation.
Lucian Chalfen, a spokesperson for the Albany Office of Court Administration, scolded the “criminal behavior” of the activists.
“What transpired is not advocacy or activism, it is criminal behavior with the intent to disrupt a proceeding and cause damage,” Chalfen said in a statement.
This is not the first time Lightbourn’s actions have resulted in legal proceedings. She has a history of anti-police activism, particularly speaking out against the unarmed killing of black people and the mass incarceration of people of color.
The demonstration that resulted in the disrupted arraignment happened last month when nearly a hundred demonstrators showed up to the New York state capitol in Albany to advocate for “housing justice.”
Lightbourn was among the 44 individuals arrested by Albany police officers during the demonstration. 40 were arrested for disorderly conduct, and 4 for obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest.