As the various major cities across the United States reached fever point in the summer, many incidents took place that placed both public and police in challenging situations. Many stories have emerged from protests that paint people in the wrong kind of light. However, there has been a large uptick in the number of lawsuits to come from the aftermath of the police handling of various protests. One such example comes from New York, where a woman who was shoved by an NYD officer during a George Floyd protest has sued the city.
Douna Zayer, the woman who was shoved to the floor by a police officer, was recorded on a widely-shared video at the height of the protests. Having opened up the lawsuit officially, Zayer said that she was “brutally struck” by a law enforcement officer when attending a Brooklyn protest on May 29th. Saying that she was using her constitutional right to protest, the video of Zayer being shoved was shared millions of times across various social media platforms. It led to mass outrage among officials, members of the public, and the press.
Zayer was rushed to hospital with a head injury, having hit her head on the ground upon landing. She says that she has suffered from a concussion and back pain as a result of the push. However, she also noted that despite the presence of “hundreds of officers”, “not a single officer” offered support or assistance. As such, the officer involved, Vincent D’Andraia, has been charged with assault and has since been suspended without pay. A supervisor who was there on the day has also been transferred to a new unit as a result of an in-house investigation.
The lawsuit has been pushed forward with unspecified damages being sought. The city legal department has said that it will now review the case. The lawyer for Zayer, Thanie Aboushi, said that officers should be held responsible for their conduct, saying: “Dounya is suffering immensely from the assault by Officer D’Andraia that was witnessed by Commander Edlemen and dozens of other officers that walked by as she lay injured in the street …We must protect protesters and our right to protest.”
More news as the case evolves and more details are provided on the next steps intended.
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