In April, the 72nd Precinct arrested Justin Thomas. Thomas isn't gang affiliated, wasn't peddling drugs, or illegally carrying a firearm. Why the arrest? According to the New York Daily News, Thomas, a graduate student at the School of Visual Arts, filmed parts of the 72nd Precinct stationhouse as a documentary for a project -- "Truth Through a Lens".
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| Sergeant Viet Cato harasses and arrests African-American filmmaker, Justin Thomas. |
This comes as no surprise to me; whether the NYPD is camera-shy or not, they have a chronic history of harassing black men that aren't doing anything criminal. Thomas is another example of an African-American male falling victim to the NYPD's abuse of power.Last week, Thomas filed a lawsuit against the NYPD for his unjust arrest. According to Thomas' lawyer, David Rankin, the 72nd Precinct is in violation of the NYPD Patrol Guide, which asserts that officers "will not interfere with the videotaping or the photographing of incidents in public places."
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| Sergeant Viet Cato of the NYPD, harasses African-American filmmaker, Justin Thomas. |
Thomas was filming on public property.
According to the lawsuit, when Thomas was confronted by sergeant Viet Cato, he was informed that he needed a permit to film the building -- this was a lie. The NYPD and police departments across the nation, habitually lie and make unjust arrests, often to make a quota.
In other words, this is a case of an African-American male, 29, who is a student and not committing a crime. So why was he arrested? I'll tell you why -- the NYPD has a thing for harassing African-American males in addition to overstepping their authority. Thomas was charged with obstructing government administration and issued a desk appearance ticket (DAT) -- mediocre nonsense short of a circus.
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