Pepper Spray Cop Already Had Civil-Rights Complaint
Here's Occupy Wall Street protestor Chelsea Elliott describing to AnimalNY the events that led up to her getting a face full of pepper spray courtesy the NYPD on Saturday. And guess what? Turns out Anthony Bologna, the police officer identified by Anonymous as the guy holding the pepper spray, had been accused of civil rights violations six years earlier.
The Guardian talked to civil rights lawyer Alan Levine, who filed an action against Bologna in 2004—during the lead-up to the Republican National Convention in New York—on behalf of a man named Post A Posr. According to Levine, Posr approached a man in a car "festooned with anti-abortion slogans" in order to engage in discussion—until Bologna became involved:
Levine said: "Police contend that Posr hit the man with a rolled-up newspaper. He said he was just talking to the guy. Bologna ordered another officer, Camejo, to arrest Posr."
Posr was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of second degree harassment, and held until September 2. On November 8, all charges against him were dropped.
Levine said that, in a departure from normal police procedure, his client was held in a special detention facility, at Pier 57, where he and others arrested were held until the protests were over.
