3 NYC fur sellers charged with dousing protesters with bleach

[Judi Lynn]

Source: UPI

3 NYC fur sellers charged with dousing protesters with bleach

One fur seller charged with throwing bleach and ammonia at protesters had a tell-tale bleach stain on his shoe, police in New York City said.

By Frances Burns

NEW YORK, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Three New York City fur sellers have been charged with dousing anti-fur protestors with trash bags filled with bleach.

Police said that Luis Justino, 40, and Lawrence Andrews, 35, were found in a stairwell in a building in lower Manhattan on Dec. 20 after at least three adults and a baby were hit with bleach thrown from the roof. Both men were carrying empty trash bags and Justino had a tell-tale bleach stain on one shoe, the complaint said.

David Habor, 53, who has also been charged, allegedly arranged the assault. All three have been charged with criminal mischief, harassment and endangerment.

Investigators said the attack occurred in the late afternoon as animal rights activists held a demonstration near a street display of furs for sale in the SOHO neighborhood. The three men allegedly emptied 11 bottles of bleach and ammonia into bags and then carried them to the roof of a building.





Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/12/29/3-NYC-fur-sellers-charged-with-dousing-protesters-with-bleach/6591419888156/?spt=sec&or=tn

[Judi Lynn]

1. Fur-sellers charged with tossing bleach at protest

Fur-sellers charged with tossing bleach at protest
| December 29, 2014 | Updated: December 29, 2014 3:16pm

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say three fur-sellers tossed bleach and ammonia from a New York City roof onto animal-rights activists below.

Lawrence Andrews, Luis Justino and David Haber are charged with reckless endangerment, harassment and criminal mischief. According to a criminal complaint, the three men went to the top of a six-story Manhattan building and dumped bleach at an anti-fur protest happening on the street.

Prosecutors say the bleach struck at least one baby stroller and a few pedestrians. Police say two of the men were caught inside the building with garbage bags reeking of cleaning fluid.

The men were arrested Dec. 20. They were released and told to appear on Jan. 26. Their attorneys didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Fur-sellers-charged-with-tossing-bleach-at-protest-5983583.php

(Short article, no more at link.)

[Warpy]

2. Should be treated as aggravated assault, at the very least

Bleach plus ammonia creates poisonous gas. If it had been done in a confined space, they might have killed someone. In addition, dropping anything onto people from six floors up is no joke.

Stupid bastards were old enough to know better.

[cosmicone]

6. Assault with a deadly weapon at least n/t

[lonestarnot]

13. Agg assault enough.

[Sunlei]

3. interesting, so these idiots used what our law calls "Chemical Weapons" against the protestors?

They must have known bleach and ammonia mix was very toxic.

These people could be charged with crimes under Federal law.

[ColesCountyDem]

4. Chloramine, in fact.

I agree they should throw EVERY book available at them, be it city, state or federal.

[branford]

5. I agree the men should definitely face serious charges.

However, I'm curious if the protesters who were attacked are any of the militants who throw paint and other chemicals on people who wear fur. If so, it might make an otherwise straightforward prosecution quite difficult, particularly if the jury found the victims particularly unsympathetic.

Life in the big city . . .

[Bluenorthwest]

9. It's interesting that without any specific cases or similarities to point to you assume that a group

of protesters might be 'militants'. The criminals are the people who threw chemicals from a roof onto a street full of strangers for having an opinion they don't like. That's militant, hurling bleach at a baby because his Mommy is picketing your store. I wonder if those fur merchants might be the same fur merchants that deal in endangered species, because if they are, they are going to look really shitty in court. Some furriers do that. So these furriers might. We should certainly look into it.....

[branford]

11. Sigh . . . Did you notice my first sentence stated that the men should face

serious charges? Could that be any more clear?

And whether you like it or not, it's difficult to prosecute cases with very unsympathetic victims. This is a legal and practical reality faced by all prosecutors. I also inquired because I was curious why the men would engage in such a stupid criminal act, and thought retaliation might be their motive.

However, from the tone and tenor of your post, it appears that you may very well be the type of person who would throw paint on another individual and destroy their property, excuse those who do, or just really fails to understand the nature of legal proceedings. However, I doubt it's the latter since you do appear to realize that if the men engaged in criminal conduct besides the assault, which the does not appear to be the case from the information in the article, they too would lose sympathy.

So, I might as well inquire. If the victims of the attack assaulted other people with paint, do believe they too should face appropriate charges in a court of law, apart from the acknowledged criminality of the men?

[blackcrow]

12. paint doesn't cause blindness, bleach can.

[Travelman]

14. Then go ahead and spash some paint in your own face

Can't hurt, right?

[LanternWaste]

15. The rational mind sees more possibilities than merely the one you forward.

The rational mind sees more possibilities than merely the one you forward. Bias can blind any of us...

[Travelman]

16. "Bias can blind any of us..." And so can paint.

I sure as shit don't support throwing bleach or ammonia or battery acid or anything else like that onto protesters, but let's not pretend that throwing paint on someone is utterly incapable of harm, either.

[Ash_F]

17. OK, but let's remember these protesters did not do that. /nt

[Travelman]

18. Sure. I don't think anyone is claiming that.

I was responding directly to blackcrow's assertion in post #12 that paint does not cause blindness.

[Ash_F]

19. Indeed, I do believe throwing paint should be some form of assault.

Bleach is worse though.

[valerief]

7. Only cops are allowed to throw burning chemicals at innocent people for no reason. nt

[movonne]

8. can the people who threw the bleach be sued...

[jmowreader]

10. Sure.

In America you can sue anyone for anything.

The question is, can the people suing the people who threw the bleach win?