City Will Pay $55,000 To Settle Case of Occupy Livestreamer Josh Boss, Tackled By High-Ranking NYPD

[hrmjustin]

City Will Pay $55,000 To Settle Case of Occupy Livestreamer Josh Boss, Tackled By High-Ranking NYPD Chief
Anna Merlan

Occupy Wall Street is still proving expensive for the city of New York, who keep having pay out large sums of money to Occupy protesters who were over-enthusiastically arrested by the NYPD. In April 2013, the city paid $365,000 to settle claims over the destruction of the OWS library, and civil rights attorney Wylie Stecklow of Stecklow Cohen & Thompson says he's settled six or seven other Occupiers' claims for unlawful arrests. The latest came just yesterday, when the city agreed to pay $55,000 in the case of Josh Boss, who was livestreaming a December 2011 march when he was thrown to the ground and kneed by Chief Thomas Purtell, then the commanding officer of the Manhattan South Patrol Division, which oversees all marches and protests in the city.
"Purtell is the most senior officer we've ever seen in a physical unlawful arrest," Stecklow tells the Voice. "He got hands on."

Boss was filming the march on the evening of December 17, 2011. As the marchers crossed the street, so did he, camera in hand. Footage of the incident shows that he was in a crosswalk when Purtell came running at him, flung him to the ground, and put his knee on Boss's chest. "Kick his ass, Tom!" another officer can be heard saying in the background.

The video shows Boss lying motionless for the duration of the arrest. Nontheless, Purtell tells him, "Don't resist."

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2014/04/josh_boss_occupy_wall_street.php

[HooptieWagon]

1. The police are out of control.

No accountability, no oversight. Unfortunately, the only redress is in civil court. And... I foresee rather than police reforms, the response by TPTB will be to cap judgements.

[hrmjustin]

2. Well fortunately the new administration takes police brutality much more seriously.

[HooptieWagon]

3. Thats good for NYC.

But doesn't help many communities around the country. DoJ should have stepped in years ago, but apparently are disinterested.

[hrmjustin]

4. I never really expected the DOJ to take this up.

[frylock]

5. he should take a photo of the check and post it on twitter

#nypd

[hrmjustin]

6. Indeed.