Some eco-warriors arrested over The Post printing press protest had similar run-ins with police
Some of the eco-warriors nabbed over The Post printing press protest on Friday are aging hippies and professional activists who’ve had previous run-ins with cops at similar unruly demonstrations.
At least 13 members of Extinction Rebellion were charged over the protest outside the Queens printing press used by The Post’s parent company, News Corp — preventing the delivery of newspapers to tens of thousands of New Yorkers.
For Janet Apuzzo, of Wallkill, NY, the latest ordeal was her second brush with the NYPD in as many weeks. The 56-year-old had bragged online about being among 13 climate activists collared in Manhattan on April 17 for blocking a busy intersection near the Flatiron Building.
According to Apuzzo’s social media, she’s a proud member of Extinction Rebellion and is self-employed as an “artist/healer.”
Seward “Ward” Ogden, 62, and wife Maria Ogden, 59 — who live on a small farm in Vermont — have also had encounters with cops at some of the group’s previous protests.
A retired US Navy pilot, Seward was among those arrested in 2020 on charges of trespass and disturbing the peace after unfurling a giant banner, which read “Climate Justice Now,” over the famous Citgo sign in Boston’s Kenmore Square.
His wife, who is a nurse by trade, was issued a summons to appear in court on the same charges as her husband, Boston.com reported at the time.
Maria has previously said she was spurred to become a climate activist after hearing a speech by Swedish teen firebrand, Greta Thunberg, in 2019
William Regan, 43, of Redonda Beach, California, said on his LinkedIn page that he’s Extinction Rebellion’s “America community organizer” and before that was a “national mobilizer.”
“Focusing on my work with Extinction Rebellion takes up most of my time,” the former video game maker wrote on his page.
Others taken into custody included 33-year-old Rory Varrato, a PhD student at Columbia University, who co-founded Extinction Rebellion’s New York City offshoot back in 2018. According to a filing with the New York State Office of the Attorney General Charities Bureau, Varrato was listed as an “officer/president” when the group was first registered in the Big Apple.
“Politically … I identify as a green revolutionary anarcho-communist and anti-imperialist,” Varrato wrote on his personal website.
Sarah Durand, 65, who was also nabbed in the protest against media outlets, had previously campaigned to protect WBAI radio, which she claimed was NYC’s “only true public broadcast station.”
The fellow protestors taken into custody included: Jordan Bridges, 23; Holly White, 58; Johannes Vulto, 62; James Gordon, 63; Sibyla Giles, 20; and James Merewether, 80.
All 13 were charged with obstruction of governmental administration, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, cops told The Post. They were each slapped with desk appearance tickets.
At least 19 others received summonses at the scene, according to police.
Additional reporting by Bruce Golding
