NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – It’s a busy time of year for the NYPD.

With protesters, tourists, celebrators, and actresses all occupying the sidewalks of our fair city, how’s a cop to know who to throw in the paddy wagon?

Actress Ellen Barkin, who resides in the Union Square area, took to Twitter on Sunday to protest the treatment of a young woman she saw being arrested by the police.

Barkin Tweeted,  ”Walking home…13th & 6th, police making random arrests of non protesters.Young girl in police van screaming “I’m just trying 2 get home” followed by ”People being thrown in police vans, arrested for “jaywalking” What happened to the NYPD of my youth? Who are u all? Shame shame on u all.”

The tides turned for Barkin when she went from bystander to activist, trying to intervene on the girl’s behalf.  The actress was apparently grabbed and pushed aside by police. Of course, she Tweeted a play-by-play:

“Just threatened on my street by NYPD, cop shoved me,both hands,onto sidewalk..Is it a crime 2 stand in the street in NY? WTF is going on here?” Barkin wrote.

Later on Sunday Barkin continued her rant about the NYPD in the 140-character-or-less forum, ”I was trying 2 make my way 2 young girl they had thrown in2 the van.She was not a protester.Was not drunk.She was walking home,” she wrote.

Barkin, who is an avid supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement, later took to blaming Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the event.

She Tweeted later on Sunday ”[Expletive] all of u,Bloomberg & every1 goose-stepping behind u.I cannot believe what I am seeing.U protect nothing.U ARE the violence in my city.”

Luckily, for everyone on the Internet, Barkin’s boyfriend was there and recording the whole thing.

You can watch Ellen Barkin tell off the cops on Twitvid.  This is probably the most screen time she’s gotten in years!