What We Know About the Hipster Cop of Occupy Wall Street
With all the press and people and money surrounding Occupy Wall Street, the three weeks long event has made celebrities out of more than one protester. But, there's one rising star that's getting special attention this Friday afternoon: Hipster Cop. Gawker's Adrian Chen first noticed this well-dressed, thick-rimmed-glasses-wearing, gangly looker while reporting on the non-Radiohead concert. Since then, others have picked up on this hip detective. One OWS goer, Russia Today's Lucy Kavanof even called him "infamous," after snagging a Twitpic of him. And MarketPlace Radio's Heidi Moore mentioned him on The Madeleine Brand Show today. Who exactly is this mysterious Hipster Cop and what exactly makes him so hipster or, really, so cop?
RELATED: Paul Krugman Explains Why He Won't Be Visiting Zuccotti Park
Hipster Cop has a real name: Rick Lee. "His name is Rick btw. Community affairs / detective with #NYPD precinct 1," NYU student Brett Chamberlin, who Hipster Cop asked out for dinner, tweeted at Chen. Chen believes his last name is Lee, he told us, given that a detective Rick Lee appears in various Occupy Wall Street reports. But we confirmed with photo evidence, finding a chubbier--yet still hip--Lee pictured at a March 2010 cop-of-the-month gathering.
RELATED: Will Occupy Wall Street Be Forced to Occupy Itself?
So that takes care of what makes him a cop, but what exactly qualifies him as a hipster. First, Hipster Cop has that twee veneer that hipsters of a certain grade possess. "When I met him, Hipster Cop was wearing a bright red Mister Rogers cardigan and a white button down with a clipped tie, grey wool slacks and spotless oxfords, a smirk on his face," explains Chen on his blog The World of Today. Other photos confirm this grandpa chic stylings, as you can see from Kavanof's photo.
RELATED: How Long Can Occupy Wall Street Last Without The Lights On?
But what gives him the extra hipster edge? His attitude. After asking if Lee was bummed about Radiohead's no show, Hipster Cop pulled out a classic hipster too-cool line. "They’re finished," he told Chen. "Nobody’s going to listen to their music anymore." And again, check out that smug.
RELATED: Michael Moore Has a Very Nice Vacation Home
Yet there's something else makes Hipster Cop the most hipster of all police officers in the land: He's keeping all his co-hipsters safe at a supposedly very hipster oriented movement. He fits right in!
RELATED: Sympathetic Judge Frees the WikiLeaks Truck
Update 5:29 p.m.: Lee not only rocks grandpa chic, but he's perfected the look with a few select vintage-esque pieces. It looks like he's sporting these Moscot glasses and possibly a Barbour coat. The specs look pretty new, but maybe that jacket's from a real-live thrift shop.
