Woman allegedly assaulted by NYPD officer is fired--alleges police cover up

[BurtWorm]

From Feministing. The woman in question was riding on the subway a couple of weeks ago with a sick pug, which became overheated and vomited repeatedly. It might have been a horribly funny story, but the scene turned ugly when the cops tried to ticket her. She said they manhandled her--even pinched her breast--as they tried to arrest her. A day later, the NY Post ran a story on the incident claiming the woman yelled anti-Semitic remarks at one of the officers, who happens to be the first Hasid on the NYPD.

Here's a follow-up to the story:

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Feministing/~3/g_7cT8IJS_w/016761.html



|||Today 11:23 AM|Vanessa
Remember Chrissie Brodigan, the woman who was allegedly assaulted by a NYPD officer who said, "If you're going to act like a woman I'm going to treat you like a woman"? Well, it looks like allegations of anti-Semitic comments during the incident has resulted in her getting fired.

The New York Post "revealed" a witness (very shortly after Gothamist broke the story) who claims she saw Brodigan yell at Officer Witriol, the city's first Hasidic officer, "You f---ing Jew, you're not even human. Jewish people think they own everything." But Brodigan claims (as do other witnesses) that she said nothing of the sort, yet was fired from her job at Plum TV shortly thereafter. Brodigan says:

I was terminated for "equivocating" in the press. My boss is threatening to not offer an agreeable severance package, including health insurance, which is crucial because i have cystic fibrosis and he is aware. He's angry that this is out in the press. I think he made a judgment based on perceived bigotry.

While obviously we can't know for sure who said what, Brodigan responded with a compelling letter to Gothamist about the allegations and her termination:

There were witnesses at the scene and these witnesses did not hear me make any anti-Semitic remarks and specifically did not recall the existence of the Post's alleged witness. I do not believe that this witness was at the scene nor did any witness hear me make antisemitic remarks.
The truth is that smearing the victim is a classic police technique to cover up abuse and protect the arresting officer. I am not a bigot, and accusations of bigotry are so absurd that I did not think it even necessary to respond to them.
...

These anti-Semitic comments printed by the New York Post never crossed my lips on the day I was wrongfully arrested and physically abused. And, to be even more succinct, those words and statements have NEVER crossed my lips on any other day in my life. EVER.

I believe that ultimately the evidence will come out that the police were involved in the Post's smear job of me, which was an effort to cover up police misconduct.




Brodigan also discloses her social justice-oriented academic background and that she has "devoted <her> adult life to studying and supporting the civil rights of minorities."

If Brodigan is right (and I'd personally believe her pug over the Post), the level of bullshit going on here is completely obscene. A woman who is slandered and subsequently fired (not to mention without the decency of health insurance extension, which she obviously needs) for being assaulted is pretty unreal.

Although I'm not holding my breath, I hope the truth is revealed behind this story; injustice has been committed here, one way or another.

[Raineyb]

1. That woman's boss is an asshole.

Of all the papers to decide to fire the woman for the NY Post? That piece of shit rag isn't fit to wrap rotting fish and considering it's racist history and blatant political leanings not to mention it's constant excuse making for the police no matter how egregious its behavior it shouldn't get any benefit of the doubt in this case. I hope she sues the asshole boss AND the NY "POS" Post.