BlackPerspective.net
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Charges Dismissed In Case of Officer Knocking Bicyclist From Bike
September 8th, 2008
Remeber this video:
The Associated Press has the story:
- Charges dismissed against cyclist in YouTube shove
By SAMUEL MAULL
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge dismissed charges Friday against the bicyclist who was body-checked and knocked to the pavement by a police officer in a widely viewed YouTube video.
At the prosecution’s request, Criminal Court Judge James Burke dropped a charge of resisting arrest against Christopher Long, 29, of Hoboken, N.J.
Long was arrested July 25 during a Critical Mass bicycle ride through Times Square. The monthly bike rides are held around the world to draw attention to alternatives to motor vehicles.
Police said Long was arrested because he was obstructing traffic and deliberately steered his bicycle into an officer.
After the video emerged showing the policeman knocking Long to the ground, the officer, Patrick Pogan, was stripped of his badge and gun and assigned to desk duty. Police said Friday they were still investigating…
As he left court, Long said he was happy not to be prosecuted and to have the case behind him. As for Pogan’s account of events in the criminal complaint, he said, “The video speaks for itself.”
Long’s lawyer, David B. Rankin, said, “We’re just very lucky this videotape surfaced, and we’re very thankful the DA’s office did the right thing in dropping these charges.”
“This was a case where the officer’s sworn testimony was contradicted by the videotape,” Rankin said. “It raises serious questions about other cases that don’t have the luxury of a videotape.”…
And this is the issue with police testimony, and why we can’t take what the police and prosecutors say as fact. So often when police don’t know they’re being video tapped, and even often when they do know; the tape tells a different story then what the police have told.
Simply being a cop doesn’t begin to make you honest; and the police’s word should never be taken as anything near the gospel.
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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A painful reminder that New York cops like so many others are nothing but jack boot thugs and liars. And they have the courts backing them on it.
I was shocked when I heard that they pressed charges on the biker, so I’m glad he got off.
But that cop needs to be in jail, he is a LIAR!
There is no way after looking at that video could you even think that the cop might of been mistaken.
This is why no one trust the cops, and another damn thing, why isnt his partner sitting next to his dumb ass?!
Sjustice, it’s a shame that so much of the public still automatically takes their wors o on these incidents; and that the legal systems bends so much in their favor when it is supposed to be fair to all and protect the people from goverment - not put the government on a pedistal.
They charge the usual charges when a cop has harrassed or brutalized someone who didn’t actually do anything. The go with that same ambigious crap because it’s merely based on the judgment of the cop anyway.
And you’re right Cnlmike, his partner should be under the same scrutiny.