Felony Charge Dropped Against Homeless Man Dragged Off Subway by NYPD and Punched

[tulipsandroses]

(YEah, after the video started making rounds on social media)

Felony Charge Dropped Against Homeless Man Dragged Off Subway by NYPD and Punched
The man was approached by police officers after occupying more than one seat on the subway.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it will dismiss the felony assault charge it filed against a homeless man who was arrested and punched by a police officer after occupying more than one seat on the subway one day in May.

New York City police officers had attacked the man, identified only as “Joseph,” while attempting to kick him off the train, according to the Legal Aid Society, which is representing him. Officers first approached Joseph for the minor seat offense, which can be a frequent cause of arrest for people who are exhausted or homeless, and the situation soon escalated to violence. Partial body-camera footage from the encounter, which was first reported by The City Tuesday, shows one officer hitting Joseph repeatedly after he refused to get off the train.

[link:https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ep4awz/felony-charge-dropped-against-homeless-man-dragged-off-subway-by-nypd-and-punched|

Video of the arrest
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[link:

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[tulipsandroses]

1. I hope this asshole is fired. Somebody tell me why defund the police is a bad idea again?

So we end up needing more police officers and an ambulance for a homeless man whose crime was sitting on two seats -
Thats tax dollars at work - working beautifully to bust crime and make us safe from 2 seat hoggers.

[tblue37]

3. And the train was nearly empty. nt

[tulipsandroses]

5. Exactly!

I don't even know why taking up two seats is against the law. Its selfish if the train is packed but it should not be a damn crime.

[tblue37]

6. It's one of those laws cops use according to their own discretion to hassle vulnerable

people like this man and other homeless people, or minorities they don't like to see in their territory.

The law allows them to justify crap like what happened to Joseph, even if he's not bothering anyone or interfering with their rights.

[Nevilledog]

2. Cops won't enforce masking laws, but drag and punch someone for using more than 1 seat.

[tishaLA]

4. I'd love to hear Cy Vance's office explain

how this homeless man got charged but he couldn't find a way to charge Harvey Weinstein for years, to say nothing of Ivanka and Don Jr after he got a nice campaign contribution.

[Demovictory9]

7. That was ugly.

[Demovictory9]

8. Officer long sought treatment for his knuckles. Lied to blame on kick from victim

The officer who struck him, Adonis Long, also alleged that Joseph kicked his hand in the course of being detained. Long sought medical attention for “sustained swelling and substantial pain to the knuckles,” according to court documents.

[Demovictory9]

9. Officer Adonis Long..liar and abuser of the vulnerable

Link to tweet

?s=09

[tulipsandroses]

11. I just read on another website that Joseph had just left a crowded shelter. I have tears in my eyes

They need to be fired immediately and charged. They were choking him, he was not a threat.

Mayor DiBlasio needs to say something. I'm glad this is getting media attention.

And maybe somebody that knows police protocol can tell me why they have to take someone to the ground. When they had him on the wall, about to hand cuff him- why was it necessary to take him to the ground? Is this protocol or these guys just being assholes?

[Demovictory9]

12. And the train was empty

[Demovictory9]

10. Da vance upgraded the charges AFTER seeing the video

https://champ.gothamist.com/champ/gothamist/news/cops-punch-homeless-man-subway-then-charge-him-assault

Public seeing the video caused him to drop the charges

[tulipsandroses]

13. And its a damn shame, that going to jail that night, would be the only place the city would be

prepared to "house" him. How ironic.

[NNadir]

14. Oh my God! How horrible.