Pier 57

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Pier 57 is a long concrete pier built over wood piles in the Hudson River in New York City. Located near the end of 14th Street on the West Side Highway, just south of the Chelsea Piers sports complex. Until 2003, it housed a bus depot for the New York City Transit Authority.

On August 31, 2004, during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, around 1,200 anti-RNC protesters were arrested and sent to a makeshift detention/processing center at Pier 57. Over 1,800 were arrested during the entire event.

Medical activists reportedly treated many people held at Pier 57 for chemical burns, rashes, and infections that resulted from direct, prolonged exposure to the motor oil, asbestos, and other contaminants. The building had previously been used as an active bus garage until the New York City Transit Authority vacated the space in 2003, and thus explains the health issues of those who were held there. Pier 57 was condemned by the city of New York and was closed down until the NYPD decided to use it as detainment facility.