Video of Police Brutality Against Three Gay Men Released by AVP: Press Conference Scheduled for Tuesday

The New York Anti Violence Project issued a community alert and announced plans for a press conference to address an incident of police brutality in Brooklyn on June 3rd involving three gay men. A video taken by a bystander was obtained by AVP and posted to YouTube.

COMMUNITY ALERT
June 10, 2013
AVP Denounces Anti-LGBTQ Police Violence in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn; Plans Press Conference at 1 Police Plaza on Tuesday, June 11 at 2pm

AVP is outraged by an incident of police violence that occurred in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn on Sunday, June 3, 2013. Three openly gay men, Josh Williams, Ben Collins, and Antonio Maenza, reported that they were walking past the 79th Precinct when an NYPD officer accused one of the men of public urination and attacked him, throwing him against a police car. The officer was joined by other officers who also attacked the man, throwing him to the ground and pepper spraying him while he was in handcuffs. The survivor was handcuffed tightly, causing lacerations. The survivor's injuries were treated at a hospital, where he was again restrained with wrist and ankle cuffs. The group of officers also arrested the other two survivors. AVP has obtained video of the assault from the survivors, which can be viewed here.

In response, AVP is planning a Press Conference at 2 pm tomorrow, June 11th outside of 1 Police Plaza in Manhattan. AVP will be joined by the survivors, their lawyer, additional survivors of anti-LGBTQ police violence and community partners, including the LGBT Justice Project of Make the Road NY, Streetwise and Safe, the Safe OUTside the System Collective of the Audre Lorde Project, FIERCE, Communities United for Police Reform, Campaign to Stop the False Arrests, the Brooklyn Community Pride Center, the LGBT Advisory Panel to NYPD Commission Kelly, City Council Member Daniel Dromm. AVP has reached out to other community based organizations and elected officials and this list is in formation. AVP is also reaching out to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, the Office of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and the NYPD about this incident. We will be bringing attention to this incident of police violence affecting our LGBTQ communities and invite you to join us at tomorrow's press conference.