Last month NYPD officer Patrick Pogan violently shoved a man off his bicycle during a Critical Mass ride in Times Square, and offered a perjured account of what happened. Now Governor Paterson is considering appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the incident. The Villager reports Paterson may also make the special prosecutor’s office permanent, with the ability to replace the city’s district attorneys on corruption cases.
All Posts Tagged: police harassment
Union head Patrick Lynch is defending NYPD officer Patrick Pogan, who assaulted a cyclist at Friday night’s Critical Mass bike ride, depite of all evidence indicating Pogan used unnecessary and excessive force take down a cyclist who posed no danger or threat, and then lied about it in a sworn account. NYPD insiders suggest charges against the cyclist will be dropped, and Pogan will be fired after just a few weeks as a boy in blue. (High school photo of Officer Patrick Pogan from NY Post)
Bike Bullying Cop Stripped of Badge and Gun
According to the Daily News, Patrick Pogan, the 22 year-old officer who carried out Friday’s assault on a cyclist during Critical Mass, was stripped off his badge and gun, and is now assigned to desk duty pending an investigation. ANIMAL looks at the court documents and notes:
“Contrary to the video evidence and universal common sense, the cop (deponent) claimed—in a sworn statement—that Long swerved and then ran into him, “causing deponent to fall to the ground and causing deponent to suffer lacerations on deponent’s forearms” . However, as the clip demonstrates, that’s not the case and the attack was unprovoked.”
[ANIMAL]
NYPD Officer Assaults Man Riding Bicycle
A video camera caught a NYPD officer running and violently shoving a man off his bicycle onto the sidewalk in Times Square, during Friday night’s Critical Mass ride. After being assaulted by the police officer, “the cyclist in this video was arrested, held for 26 hours, and charged with attempted assault and resisting arrest.” That is some bullshit. [Gothamist]
No Love For Sky Watch
Valentine’s Day saw the return of Sky Watch, the NYPD’s friendly neighborhood guard tower, to Nostrand Ave and St. Marks Ave in Crown Heights. Stopping to take a commemorative photo, we were interrupted by four undercover cops stationed nearby, who wasted no time with niceties. “What are you, a terrorist? You look like you’re taking photographs of the officers in that secure area so you can follow them home to hurt them or kill them! Cops get death threats, you know!” Remember when last year East Harlem Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito said, “We need to build community relations, and these things send the wrong message. There should be interaction on the street, instead of towering over people.” Somehow, this doesn’t seem like the interaction she was talking about. Perhaps the NYPD could try approaching more people as humans, not as would-be terrorists and cop killers.
Ellis G. Takes on NYPD
Oh snap! Artist Ellis G has filed a notice of claim, letting the city know he plans to file a $5 million lawsuit for false arrest, unlawful imprisonment and pain and suffering. Last October the NYPD arrested artist Ellis G for drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, the kind that washes away with water. Despite the fact his drawings weren’t illegal, he was held in jail for 17 hours before the graffiti charges were dropped.
Gallagher says his $5 million complaint is not about the money—he knows it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to squeeze much out of the city—but about the principle. “I want peace of mind—no fear of arrest or harassment, freedom of expression, knowing that I can go to sleep at night doing what I do without fear of being incarcerated,” he says. “I think [the NYPD] should reassess their priorities and not waste taxpayer dollars on policing people for chalking sidewalks.” Which is apparently something they’ve been doing quite a bit of over the years.
Photo by C-Monster on Flickr.
