NYPD is under investigation for a rash of incidents where excessive force was used. But one of the latest - a pin-down of a pregnant woman - puts an innocent unborn child at risk.
Though what instigated that incident is not recorded, a video shows Sandra Amezquita, who looks to be at least 6 months pregnant, trying to walk away from officers who are attempting to cuff her. Next it shows Amezquita being thrown, belly-down onto the street, with her hands held behind her back - unable to cushion the weight upon her abdominal area.
While Amezquita is pinned down, the cops also assault another woman who approaches them. This woman is shoved away so hard she hits and rolls on the ground.
In earlier incidents caught on video an asthmatic man died after being put in a choke hold, an asthmatic women draped in a towel was dragged through a hallway and a teen suffered cuts and a punctured lung after being shoved by cops through a storefront window.
Experiencing vaginal bleeding and bruising after her assault, Amezquita says she still suffers abdominal pain, leaving her and her husband worried about the baby's condition.
Insist the NYPD put a stop to its use of excessive force.
We, the undersigned, say NYPD’s history of use of excessive force has gone beyond unacceptable in targeting people with obvious health issues - going so far as to put an unborn child at risk.
The video shows the pregnant woman who was pinned down to the ground was clearly in no shape to be causing officers any physical threat, and apparently none of the recent cases in which excessive force was used were any of the victims committing any serious crimes.
The asthmatic man who died after the choke hold was reportedly accosted for selling untaxed cigarettes. Shouldn’t offenses such as these be handled with fines rather than force?
According to what Amezquita’s husband, Ronel Lemos, told news sources, this incident with his wife occurred because the couple was trying to protect their 17-year-old from the same officers who then assaulted and arrested them. Reports say police were arresting their son for possession of a knife clipped to his belt. But that arrest involved beating up the boy - his right eye is swollen shut in photos taken after his arrest.
Lemos, who saw his son beaten by cops and had to stand helpless while they knocked his wife, belly-first to the ground, now worries that his unborn child may have been injured as well.
Clearly this incident and those that preceded it could have been handled without the excessive force and brutality that was used.
We insist NYPD put an end to this egregious habit of using excessive force - especially on people who have obvious health issues.
