A pizza activist was taken into custody for hurling pizza slices at New York City Hall on Wednesday in protest of the city’s upcoming crackdown on pizzerias for their wood- and coal-fired ovens.
Scott LoBaido, an artist and activist, was seen in a social media video repeatedly hurling pizza slices from pizza boxes over the fence and onto the grounds of City Hall.
“That a boy, Scott. Yeah!” a person in the crowd cheered him on as police descended on him.
He remarked to the police as he was getting handcuffed that he was just tossing the pizza “to feed the pigeons.”
The video shows the police telling LoBaido that he is being arrested for littering.
“It’s only supposed to be a ticket for littering. You’re not supposed to get arrested,” a person in the crowd said in response to the police officers.
Another person shouted at the police that the mayor was “corrupt” and LoBaido should not have been arrested for littering, which is considered a fine.
“This is not an arrestable offense, and you guys should be ashamed of yourselves,” the person added as police walked away with LoBaido handcuffed.
A protester then yelled at the police, “Illegals are coming in and murdering people, but we’re getting arrested?”
“F*** you, Mayor Adams!” LoBaido shouted as he was put into a police van.
LoBaido began protesting last year when New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s Department of Environmental Protection proposed that city restaurants be required to cut down on emissions from their coal- and wood-fired ovens with emission control devices.
The rule requires that restaurants “hire a professional engineer or registered architect to assess the feasibility of installing emission controls on the cook stove to achieve a 75 reduction in particulate emissions.”
The new pizza law will take effect on April 27 and claims that it will cut carbon emissions by 75%.
A New York Republican congressman slammed the rule, saying it was the city’s effort to hurt local businesses.
“They should be focused on the lack of security and safety in our communities, but instead, they’re picking on a bunch of small businesses,” Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) said to the Washington Examiner.
It is not the first time LoBaido has flung pies onto the grounds of City Hall. He made a viral video in June 2023 with close to 5 million views. He likened his efforts to the protests leading to the American Revolution.
“You ever heard of the Boston Tea Party? Well, this is the New York Pizza Party!” he declared in the social media video.
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His pizza throwing was captured again at the end of the 2023 video when he opened a pizza box and began chucking pizza slices over the City Hall fence.
“Give us pizza or give us death!” he yelled at City Hall.
