NYPD Officer Who Shoved Protester In Brooklyn Charged With Assault, Criminal Mischief, Harassment And Menacing

TOPLINE

A New York City police officer has been charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, harassment and menacing after being recorded on video shoving a 20-year-old woman to the ground and cursing at her during a protest against police brutality in Brooklyn on May 29.

KEY FACTS

Key Background:

Political pressure, both in New York and nationwide, to hold officers accountable for perceived misconduct has been ratcheted up in recent days. On Sunday, the Minneapolis City Council voted to disband its police department and invest in community-based public safety programs following calls from activists to “defund the police,” in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Although D’Andraia is the first NYPD officer arrested due to conduct during recent protests, investigators with the NYPD have reportedly recommended misconduct charges against three other officers following a May 2 incident in the East Village, where an officer sat and knelt on the neck and upper torso of a man he was arresting. Another cop has also been suspended after he was allegedly seen on video pulling down the face mask of a man, then spraying pepper spray directly into that civilian’s face. On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged for the first time to cut the city’s police funding. 

Critical Quote:

“We’re committed to seeing a shift of funding to youth services, to social services, that will happen literally in the course of the next three weeks, but I’m not going to go into detail because it is subject to negotiation and we want to figure out what makes sense,” Mayor de Blasio said Sunday. 

Chief Critic:

The Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents NYPD officers, called the charges against D’Andraia the result of “mob-rule” justice, according to NBC reporter Jonathan Dienst. “Once again, Mayor de Blasio and the NYPD brass are sacrificing cops to save their own skin,” PBA President Patrick J. Lynch said. “They created the failed strategy for managing these demonstrations. They sent police officers out to do the job with no support and no clear plan. 

Further Reading:

Violence Escalates On Both Sides In Latest Wave Of Protests (Forbes) 

New York City cop may be criminally charged for shoving woman at George Floyd protest, report says (CNBC) 

Officer Who Violently Shoved Protester in Brooklyn to Face Charges (New York Times) 

De Blasio Vows for First Time to Cut Funding for the N.Y.P.D. (New York Times)