New York City Councilman David G. Greenfield is calling for an independent investigation into the arrest of a 71-year-old Chasidic man who was cited for speaking on his cell phone while driving.
“It’s disconcerting to see a 71-year-old grandfather sitting in the emergency room with bruises all over his face and body after his interaction with local police,” Greenfield said after returning from Maimonides Medical Center, where the man was being treated, at 1:00 a.m. Monday. “The bedrock of policing in New York City is courtesy, professionalism and respect. The NYPD must investigate to ensure that these standards have been adhered to.”
“At the end of the day, when you are dealing with a 71-year-old man, a little common sense should prevail. No police academy will train you to do this to a senior citizen,” said Jack Meyer, president of community organization Misaskim.
Yidel Perlstein, chair of Community Board 12, said, “Just looking at this Boro Parker, you can see that he is not a threat. This could have been anybody’s grandfather. That’s why this is so disturbing.”
The 71-year-old alleges that he was pulled over at approximately 8:00 p.m. at the intersection of 18th Avenue and 53rd Street for talking on his cell phone. The man, whose native language is not English, said he was doing his best to explain that the officers’ flashlights were too bright, and he therefore couldn’t find his registration in his glove compartment.
He said that the officers then dragged him out of the car, shoved him into the ground and arrested him for “disorderly conduct.” He was released after being taken to the 66th Precinct.
“The bottom line is that, while we are not jumping to any conclusions, we need an immediate and thorough investigation,” said Greenfield. “I appreciate that the NYPD met us in the hospital to take a report, and I expect a full, fair and transparent investigation.”
Warning: disturbing video
and to see people justifying this is even sicker.
This is police brutality, end of story.
Jewish lives matter.
Stop the silence and kissing up.
The US is a very violent place. Can I assume the police are just trained to respond to certain situations in a confrontational and violent manner? Maybe it doesn’t matter what the person looks like or is doing, if they meet the criteria for the police to escalate their tactics then they will do so. Probably as soon as someone talks back (and I am not saying the gentleman in this case did so) they get rough. That would explain why they end up killing black men in their custody and then are exonerated for just having followed standard procedure.
Even though he was talking on his cell phone, they did not have the right to abuse this men, and handle him the way they did, we all know that talking on the cell phone is wrong, but it is really wrong to abuse someone because you think you can get away with it, would you like to see a member of your family get treated the way that man got treated
The NYPD know exactly where they are when they arrest an elderly Jewish man. The policemen here should be held accountable for their anti-semitic actions. Too bad this has happened in NY. Its speaks volumes for the hidden agenda these police “officers” harbor. I hope they are punished for thier actions.
Refuah Shaleima
confused senior citizen and a dangerous criminal than he’s incompetent for that job and a menace himself.
Ur comment is silly. How do you know what happened? Last time a Jew alleges that he was mistreated by a cop, the video was was released and it resulted into a massive chillul hashem.
While the person who wrote comment #1 was certainly harsh with his words, the logic in your comment is equally stupid.
Was it from the cop’s dash-cam?
As for #1 – your callousness is the stuff nightmares are made of. Yes, everyone agrees that talking on a cell whilst driving is irresponsible AND illegal. Nobody disputes that. But to say he deserved to be beaten up? What kind of person says that? The word Kapo springs to mind, but I find it hard to believe a Jew would approve of police beating up another Yid. So my conclusion has to be: you are a complete moron.
I didn’t realize how intense this was until I saw the video… they actually beat him up. HaShem Yishmor!
The law is that it is not legal to talk on the phone while driving. This can in a hefty fine and points to ones license. If the police feels under threat for his or her life then man handling may be warranted however based on what we know this is highly unlikely. Assaulting a person in this context is just what it is “assault” and should be penalized to the full extent of the law. The fact that the victim of the assault was an elderly Jewish man implies a possible anti semitic motive to this assault. The fact… Read more »
Definately does NOT EVER excuse physical violence!!! Especially not an older-aged man!!! Disgusting they should be sued or fired or both for using their status as police to rough up (and that’s putting it nicely) citizens.
is # 1 even Jewish??
While it’s against the law–and indeed dangerous — to be on a cell phone while driving, the penalty is a fine and points on your record: NOT what happened to this poor elderly man!
Do the police have any common sense at all?
Do they have elderly parents themselves?
What WERE they thinking????????
Are we publicizing this? Are we standing up for our rights? Why do only black people get media attention? (Sorry to the politically-correct teenagers I just aggravated)
Are we foolishly waiting to be led like sheep to slaughter? NOTE: Sheep don’t get slaughtered immediately. They first get taken away. They don’t fight, and that’s their death sentence they secure for themselves.
Like the Rebbe said, in today’s world we need to fight Klipa with what it hears- noise and commotion!!!!
Jews, let’s get our acts together!!
I am currently living outside of the US, in a civilized country. Trust me, my fellow Americans, when I tell you that the US has a power and violence issue with police. The police are freakin out of control. The guy talks on his cell phone and looks like a mobster hit him? What the heck? In a normal country, you would get either a warning, or a ticket with points off your license, perhaps a very expensive ticket. Lesson learned, end of story. Only in the great and free USA does an otherwise law-abiding citizen have to worry about… Read more »
ch”v the guy could of had a heart attack. I’m young and would be petrified if cops did that to me. I don’t want to even imagine what was going on in his mind while they were treating him worse then a criminal, just for a traffic violation. Give him a ticket and let him have his day in court. The cops should get desk duty until they can act like a human. How many cops are in their cellphones while driving ( 2 wrongs don’t make a right), but that is not a reason someone should end up in… Read more »
So they take full advantage of the opportunity. …And then go home and tell their families that they are heroes.
95 percent of cop’s i dealt with NYC are simply acting like school yard bully’s you cannot have a civil disagreement with them !
2 # 1 & all who excoriated him. #1 while u r seemingly somewhat insensitive, there is some validity in what u say. Too many people cavalierly flaunt basic rules of the road. A 71 year old man (& by the sound of the tape he seems quite frail) spkng on his cell fone while driving might be somewhat tantamount to a 20 year old texting and driving. I’m only writing conjecturally. It’s something to ponder, he isn’t completely blameless ESPECIALLY as we don’t know ALL the facts Another point and this is the ikkar- all the ppl here ganging… Read more »
#1, silly comment. It is true that speaking on a cellphone while driving is dangerous and endangers the lives of others. He should have known better but we are concerned here with the police’s abuse of power. Apparently, they don’t just kill black men but also hurt chassidishe zaidies.
By the way, are you the same guy who blamed the Tel Aviv tefillin table closure on Satmar?
perhaps it would be better for vulnerable people who do not know the laws and language of the land to not drive alone.
Did you read the article? He could not find his registration
because their flashlights were to bright in his face and his English is not perfect. Now decide if this is the way to treat
a senior citizen!!! And be careful before judging others…You
would not want to be judged.
I can understand that the police thought the guy was not cooperating and therefore felt the need to pull him out of the car. But couldn’t they see he couldn’t communicate in English? They could have pulled him out of the car and handcuffed him, then called for an interpreter. I think that there are people, police included, who assume the worst if another human looks or speaks differently from them. And yes, the guy not likely knows about the phone/driving law, so he was in the wrong. The language barrier seems to have caused a real problem. How would… Read more »
Until this happens G-D forbid to you or your loved ones “dont” rush to say he deserved it, speaking on a cell phone should not result in treating a law abiding citizen (albeit speaking on a cell phone, please dont compare it to other laws)as an animal and a common criminal. You want to issue him a ticket sure, but dont treat him like a piece of meat. and while we all appreciate and salute our police department for risking their lives in order so we can have a safe ans secure life, we will “NOT” turn a cheek when… Read more »
I could literally throw up just looking a your headline. SHAME ON YOU.
No cop has the right to beat ANYONE up for taking on phone….
Never mind that he is 71 years old
I wrote comment # 6 but I hadn’t yet seen the taped video. I’m horrified. This does border on brutality if not is in fact. I hope he had a thorough checkup to see if he’s really okay. And he should get a good lawyer! I understand police don’t have an easy job but I don’t see any justification for what was done here. Extremely upsetting.
I had heard that many years ago someone had a conversation with the Rebbe , discussing the possibilities of another holocost…. when the person questioned the Rebbe , referring to all the freedom in America today and then asked, “so then this could never happen here, could it?” The Rebbe’s response was , plain and simply, “TOMORROW!”
You could be right,, but such a rough treatment?!?!?! Come on!!!
I hope next time that happens, it will be your grandfather or father or husband/wife who didn’t wear their seatbelts..
Until this happens G-D forbid to you or your loved ones to rush to say he deserved it, speaking on a cell phone should not result in treating a law abiding citizen (albeit speaking on a cell phone, please dont compare it to other laws)as an animal and a common criminal. You want to issue him a ticket sure, but dont treat him like a piece of meat. and while we all appreciate and salute our police department for risking their lives in order so we can have a safe ans secure life, we will turn a cheek when we… Read more »
reply to #1 you are a terrible person.
This man should hire an attorney and sue the police.
The cop who beat him up should be fired.
Perhaps there was lack of understanding & poor communication also. The police are known to have low tolerance thresholds & or patience. When dealing with them one should be very careful not to speak or act in a way that could be misconstrued as non-cooperative. That’s life tough as it might seem.
Though i agree with ure comment
Ure headline is disgusting
Dont judge people or gd will judge u
Please brush up on the Halochos of ahavas yisroel
This comment section is home to some of the brightest minds and most trenchant commentary around.
It’s a hidden gem, we are privileged.
A 71year old man should have enough brains not to talk on a cell phone when driving. He could have injured someone far worse that the treatment he got from the cop