CH Police Brutallty Gaines International Attention
A story first broken by CrownHeights.info has gained Internationale attention.
On Shmini Atzeres, Monday evening, October 8, 2012, police were called about a man who was sleeping in the lounge of the Aliya Institute in Brooklyn. The caller may have mistakenly believed that the homeless man, Ehud H. Halevi, was loitering on the center’s property without permission.
Aliya (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults) is a Shul and outreach center for troubled youth in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Two officers from the 71st precinct, one male and one female, arrived and woke the man. Confused as to why he was being accosted by police, the man refused the officers’ attempts to escort him outside, insisting that he had permission to be there and asking that they allow him to prove it.
His pleas fell on deaf ears, and they proceeded to place him under arrest. When he resisted arrest, the male officer flew into a rage and began to beat the defenseless man. As can be seen in the video below, the officer assumed a boxing stance and then lurched towards his victim, pummeling him from all sides.
Over the next couple of minutes the man is also pepper-sprayed and beaten with a truncheon by the female officer, all while posing no threat to the officers’ well-being whatsoever.
On Shmini Atzeres, Monday evening, October 8, 2012, police were called about a man who was sleeping in the lounge of the Aliya Institute in Brooklyn. The caller may have mistakenly believed that the homeless man, Ehud H. Halevi, was loitering on the center’s property without permission.
Aliya (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults) is a Shul and outreach center for troubled youth in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Two officers from the 71st precinct, one male and one female, arrived and woke the man. Confused as to why he was being accosted by police, the man refused the officers’ attempts to escort him outside, insisting that he had permission to be there and asking that they allow him to prove it.
His pleas fell on deaf ears, and they proceeded to place him under arrest. When he resisted arrest, the male officer flew into a rage and began to beat the defenseless man. As can be seen in the video below, the officer assumed a boxing stance and then lurched towards his victim, pummeling him from all sides.
Over the next couple of minutes the man is also pepper-sprayed and beaten with a truncheon by the female officer, all while posing no threat to the officers’ well-being whatsoever.
Charges Against Ehud Halevy in NYPD Beating Case Have Been Dropped
The charges against Ehud Halevy, he 21 year old Jewish youth who made international headlines after a video of him being violently beaten by NYPD officers surfaced online were dropped today, The Algemeiner has learned.
“After review of all available evidence I have decided to dismiss the charges against Ehud Halevy,” said District Attorney Charles Hynes in a statement to reporters.
“I just found out from the lawyer’s office that the charges have been dropped,” Rabbi Moshe Feiglin, the director of the Crown Heights based Aliyah center for troubled youth, where the incident took place, told The Algemeiner.
Asked if Ehud had any reaction to the news, Feiglin said, ”I spoke to him earlier today, he is feeling a lot better and he is very relieved that things are working in his favor.”
“We are very pleased with this just resolution,” Lawyer Norman Seigel confirmed in a phone interview with The Algemeiner, “justice was done in this matter.”
“There was no legal basis for the criminal charges against our client,” Seigel explained, “therefore we commend Charles Hynes and the Brooklyn DA’s office for doing the right thing in this matter.”
“It was a joint effort between the lawyers, our client, the Crown Heights community, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Assemblyman Eric Adams,” Seigel continued, “without everybody calling for the charges to be dropped it might not have happened.”
Speaking about his client’s reaction to the latest development, Seigel said, “He is very pleased with the results and we will go to court on Wednesday morning to officially inform the court that the charges are being dropped.”
An online petition calling for the dismissal of the charges against Halevy, which included a felony count of assault and three misdemeanors: resisting arrest, obstruction and criminal trespass, has garnered 105,730 signatories at the time of publication. Rabbi Feiglin says he hopes that this outpouring of support was instrumental in securing today’s result.
“Most importantly was the video evidence which refuted what the police said happened,” Halevy’s lawyer concluded, “Next time the police say x and the citizen says y, perhaps people won’t rush to judgment in believing the police version of the story.”
The Algemeiner will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
