OWS assault: lawyer demands action on policeman's punch

[G_j]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/16/occupy-wall-street-johnny-cardona

Occupy Wall Street assault: lawyer demands action on policeman's punch

Johnny Cardona, the deputy inspector at centre of allegation by Felix Rivera Pitre, is believed to have been caught on video dishing out rough treatment to another New York protester

Ed Pilkington in New York guardian.co.uk, Sunday 16 October 2011 17.50 EDT


A lawyer acting on behalf of an Occupy Wall Street protester who was allegedly assaulted by a New York police officer on Friday has called for an investigation into the behaviour of the deputy inspector involved after video evidence appeared to show the same officer engaging in the rough handling of a woman protester in an earlier incident.


Ron Kuby, a Manhattan-based criminal defence lawyer who specialises in cases of alleged police brutality, has written to the New York district attorney Cyrus Vance calling for a "full, complete and lengthy investigation" into Friday's incident. He said that his client, Felix Rivera Pitre, would co-operate fully with any such investigation.


Video footage of the scuffle first posted by the Gothamist website appears to show the white-shirted police officer grabbing Rivera from behind, swinging him round and then punching him in the face. Rivera falls to the ground, suggesting that the punch had considerable impact.


The officer has been identified in news reports as deputy inspector Johnny Cardona. Over the weekend, new video evidence emerged relating to an earlier controversy which also appears to have involved Cardona.

..more..

[Ikonoklast]

1. Bet he felt good sucker-punching that kid.

Damn hippie had it coming, I'm sure.

Probably reminded him of the guy that gave him lip back in high school.

This is a much-needed wake-up call to the rest of America to call for the de-militarization of our country's police forces.

[dionysus]

2. yeah, and the guy is HIV positive, too. the cop might have given himself a death sentence.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. I need to respond to 3 fallacies of your post.

hitting someone with HIV is most unlikely to give you the HIV virus.
HIV is NOT the same as AIDS.

Aids is rarely a death sentence these days.

[dionysus]

5. your post is ridiculous. his punch tore off the guys earring and he was bleeding quite a bit.

the cop most likely cut his hand.

the guy who was hit himself said the cop should be tested.

i know HIV is different from AIDS. wtf?

best not to try to play professor when you don't know what you're talking about.

[AngkorWot]

6. The odds are astronomically low that he actually contracted HIV

Sorry to give you the bad news

[dionysus]

7. what an ignorant response. you think i want anybody to get HIV?

the guy who got punched said the cop should be tested. people really stretch for shit to argue about around here.

"The cop just lunged at me full throttle and hit me on the left side of my face. It tore my earring out. I remember seeing my earring on the ground next to me and it was full of blood. I was completely dumbstruck. I'm HIV positive and that cop should get tested."

:eyes:

[Cirque du So-What]

3. NYPD shouldn't be too surprised

when the term 'fucking pigs' becomes fashionable once again.