Washington Square Park Rave Promoter: Wealthy 'Karen and Kevin' Neighbors Should Move

The promoter behind recent raves in New York City's Washington Square Park has hit back at residents complaining about the noise and a rise in anti-social behavior and crime in the area.

The New York Post reported that the recent outdoor parties have led to violence, with two people stabbed in the early hours of Saturday morning after a brawl broke out among a group of late-night revelers.

According to the newspaper, unlicensed boxing matches have also taken place in the iconic Manhattan park as the city emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, horrifying residents.

Authorities responded by enacting a weekend 10 p.m. curfew, with police in riot gear clashing with revelers while enforcing it.

But David "Shaman" Ortiz, the man reportedly prompting the pop-up parties, is not worried about the critics.

He dismissed residents who have complained as "Karens and Kevins"—slang terms used to refer to a specific type of people who complain. More recently, the term "Karen" was applied to white women who have been filmed harassing Black people or people of color.

"This is my response to the residents," Ortiz told the Post.

"If you have an issue with amplified sound and you live in the downtown area, you live in the Washington Square Park area, then you should move. I'm not letting anybody steal our joy."

Alongside a video of the people dancing in the park on Instagram earlier this week, Ortiz wrote: "NYPD say #washingtonsquarepark has drugs and violence at night. But this is the true story of the events that occur when police are not harassing the public. This is a public park and deserves to be used by the whole community of the city not just for the people living in the area."

His most recent Instagram post is captioned: "Hello Instagram... Catch me at washington square park almost every evening throwing dance festival parties free of charge in the park. As long as the weather permits ofcourse! Pull up its always a good vibr [sic] in the city. Im sure after covid we all need alittle outside fun time!"

But William Abramson, the director of brokerage for Buchbinder & Warren Realty Group, the landlord for hundreds of residential and retail properties near the park, told the Post that residents have woken up over the past year to find human waste and people passed out in their doorways.

But he added: "We're not going anywhere."

The firm hired private security to patrol their properties around the park six months ago, which Abramson said was because local leaders have failed to address complaints.

Ortiz, Abramson, and the NYPD have been contacted for comment.