Protester Brutally Assaulted by NYPD Officer, Case Buried by Commissioner
In a harrowing incident during a curfew-enforced protest near Battery Tunnel. A young protester named Brianna was violently assaulted by the NYPD police officer. As the protesters marched, the police began driving through the crowd, leading to a tense standoff. Brianna, holding a sign that read “White Silence Equals Violence,” stood her ground, insisting the police couldn’t act violently. Suddenly, an officer, identified as Inspector Gerard Dowling, rushed at her, yanked her to the ground by her ponytail, and another officer pinned her down. “I couldn’t breathe, it was horrible,” she recounted.
Despite the New York police oversight agency finding Dowling’s actions constituted significant misconduct, Police Commissioner Edward Caban buried the case before it could reach a disciplinary trial. A letter from the NYPD to the oversight agency claimed that “the force utilized was reasonable and necessary.”
When Brianna found out her case was buried, she was angry, upset, and hurt. Dowling was promoted to the Internal Affairs Bureau, the unit responsible for investigating officer misconduct. He now serves as deputy chief of the unit handling protests throughout the city.
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