[Previous entry: "H.L. Contest. Add a caption to this Picture."] [Next entry: "Opposition Calls for Strike in Ukraine"]

11/24/2004: "Press Release CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY OF NEW YORK"

Press Release
Date & Time: November 22, 2004
Contact: Jeff Senter 347 231 3357, Janice Badalutz 212 353 9587
Fax 212 674 4614

CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY OF NEW YORK ON BEHALF OF ALMOST
2000
ARRESTED DURING THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION FILING ON 11/22

On November 22, 2004, a group of protesters and bystanders
wrongfully arrested during the Republican National Convention last
August
will file a class action lawsuit on behalf of the almost 2,000 who were
wrongfully arrested and detained under filthy and toxic conditions for
unreasonably prolonged periods of time. They contend that the City and
the NYPD took these actions to punish them for engaging in political
expression and protest.


During the Republican Convention, the Mayor and the Police
Department suspended the Bill of Rights for those who chose to protest
the
foreign , military and domestic policies of the United States
government.
The rights to free expression, to be free from arrest lacking probable
cause, to a prompt arraignment and release and to be free from
conditions
of confinement that were inhumane were arrogantly trod upon by
Bloomberg
and Kelly, and others," said Jonathan Moore one of the lead lawyers
representing the group of protesters. "These actions by the NYPD speak
to
an overall policy, put in place by the top leadership of the
Department,
to chill and punish political protest. It is an outrage," said Martin
Stolar, President of the New York City Chapter of the National Lawyers
Guild and one of the lawyers on the case.

The real tragedy is that young people, immigrants and women
were
particularly hurt by these policies. These are groups that have been
traditionally marginalized by the most powerful forces, so it is no
surprise that Bloomberg, Kelly and the Republicans targeted these
groups,"
said Elizabeth Fink a well known civil rights lawyer who is also a part
of
the legal team.

As a few examples of the kind of mistreatment that were so
widespread the group points to the following:

Shahrzad Gheremani - a diabetic, a 15 year old high school student,
Shahrzad was attempting to go a movie on 34th Street when she was
corralled by the police into a group of RNC protesters and arrested.
She
was held for several hours on Pier 57 under filthy and dangerous
conditions where she was not allowed to get her insulin. Finally she
was
released to her father's custody, without ever being charged. Her
father,
Ali Gheremani supports her participation in this class action lawsuit.
"Too many in my homeland, Iran, allowed freedom to slip away after the
Revolution by not speaking up. Even though my daughter only intended
to
go to a movie, we will not allow this threat to democracy to go
unanswered," he said.

Elizabeth Fleischman - arrested merely because she was perceived to be
a
protester on August 27. At the time of her arrest, while riding her
bicycle, she was following police directions. A former vice-president
of
Morgan Stanley and a 56th floor survivor of the 9/11 assault on the
World
Trade Center, she never filed a claim against the City at that time.
However, because she is so outraged by this assault by the City of New
York on the Constitution, she enthusiastically joins in this lawsuit.

Chris Kornicke - on August 31st, Chris attempted to walk to the
"protest
zone" at Madison Square Garden. He and others were directed onto 17th
Street where they were blocked off and not allowed to leave until he
was
arrested. Chris was anxious to avoid engaging in any unlawful actions
because he is an epileptic and to go without his medications can be
life
threatening. Nonetheless he was held for many hours and denied his
medications. This denial made his detention incredibly stressful and
dangerous.