Don't punish activist beaten into unconsciousness for elbowing officer!

  • by: SUE LEE
  • recipient: New York City Law Enforcement Officials and Judicial System

Please sign and share this petition everywhere in an effort to save this activist from plain police brutality. She was being groped by the officer during a protest and was beaten unconscious just because she elbowed him away from her. It is pathetic that you cannot protect yourself from an officer of the law when some of them seem to overstep their bounds!

A group of Occupy Wall Street activists were arrested during a protest in New York City’s Zuccotti Park. Among the protestors was a 23-year old graduate student by the name of Cecily McMillan. Young Ms. McMillan suffered a seizure while police were attempted to arrest her and they beat her unconscious. She faces up to seven years in prison because police claim that she assaulted one of them with her elbow. What officers do not bring to light is the fact that the officer was grabbing her breast from behind. As a natural reflect to protect herself from being groped, she swung her elbow around to stop the person grabbing at her.

After Ms. McMillan was arrested, the hand-shaped bruises were very visible on her breasts and her arms. She also claims that her ribs were bruised as well. A video clearly shows the young woman twisting and squirming in an apparent seizure, in hand cuffs, screaming for help while witnesses stood by.

There is a tally of more than 130 serious cases of such police brutality where victims were dragged, punched, pepper-sprayed, kicked and struck. Ms. McMillan is not the first to be an alleged victim of police brutality, not to mention sexual assault, but all charges and actual evidence seems to go on deaf ears. As long as officers are always able to treat “those they are supposed to serve and protect” with such abuse and great force, police brutality will continue to be a continual problem.

To protect themselves, of course the police will claim that a victim lunged at them first, resisted arrest or engaged in disorderly conduct. However, in this case, no apparent behavior warrants the hand-shaped bruises were very visible on her breasts! Witnesses have often seen cops beating on individuals that were in no way fighting back or resisting arrest. Police feel they have the badge that gives them the right to treat people however they wish, with power, because they can!

We need to stop such police brutality and this case with Ms. McMillan may bring awareness. She states that “I will say that the violence I experienced that night is nothing compared to the violence that many communities experience…I’m glad that my experience could bring police violence to the forefront, but we have to think about it beyond protesters and Occupy Wall Street and we need to recognize that this is one event in a series for Occupy Wall Street, while there are whole communities that have had this as their reality for years.”

Please sign and share this petition everywhere in an effort to save this activist from plain police brutality. She was being groped by the officer during a protest and was beaten unconscious just because she elbowed him away from her. It is pathetic that you cannot protect yourself from an officer of the law when some of them seem to overstep their bounds!

 

New York City Law Enforcement Officials and Judicial System – You need to do a thorough investigation regarding the police altercations with Ms. Cecily McMillan. The young woman shows definite proof of being groped and mistreated and your officers do not have the right to treat people as such. She did not deserve this type of treatment and officer’s badges do not give them the right to treat people with police brutality. They did not even know she was having a seizure and beat her until she was unconscious. Please see that Ms. McMillan is not punished for defending herself from such treatment and do punish your officers who seem to go way beyond the “tour of duty” in how they treat people!

Update #19 years ago
Cecily has been found guilty of assault after a brief trial, in which key evidence of the injuries she suffered was not allowed to be presented to jurors. She now faces up to 7 years in jail - her sentencing will be on May 17. Please continue to sign and share the petition to show your support for Cecily McMillan!
Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.