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Arrested Pug Owner May Be Fired Over Alleged Anti-Semitism

By

John Del Signore

Published Jul 7, 2009

Modified Jul 7, 2009

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Chrissie Brodigan argues with Officer Joel Witriol during her arrest for disorderly conduct after she was stopped for carrying her sick pug out of the subway station.

 

Jason Wagner

By

John Del Signore

Published Jul 7, 2009

Modified Jul 7, 2009

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After a witness told the NY Post that distraught pug owner Chrissie Brodigan shouted at NYC's first Hasidic cop, "You f---ing Jew, you're not even human," her employer suspended her without pay and may terminate her, pending an internal investigation. Brodigan, the VP for Online Media at Plum TV, tells us that after the Post's article appeared, Plum TV's CEO, Chris Glowacki, called her to say she was "lucky not to be fired immediately." (Several requests for comment from Glowacki have gone unanswered.)

Brodigan denies the allegation of antisemitism cited by the Post's witness and a second anonymous source, and says the article has made her life hell, with strangers gathering outside her apartment building to call her a bigot and, on one occasion, shout, "You deserve to die!" She is now contemplating suing the Post for slander, and tells us:

I believe that the Post fabricated their witness for salacious story-telling, I also believe that the NYPD could have planted her as a way to spin the story because I don't have a record and have never been in trouble with the law. In other words, the only way to discredit me would be to make something up... To be absolutely clear: Even in the heat of the moment I did not use anti-Semitic remarks against the officer. I did say things like "screw you" and was sarcastic in asking for the tickets so I could go home. I did not even say the words "Jewish" or "Jew" or utter a single ethnic slur. And, to be even more clear, those words and statements [alleged in the Post] have NEVER crossed my lips. Not that day. And, not any other day in my life. Ever.

The Post's article is credited to Reuven Fenton and Reuven Blau; the latter reporter has previously written about Hasidic cops, including Kalman Witriol, the brother of officer Joel Witriol, who arrested Brodigan and allegedly roughed her up while saying, "If you're going to act like a woman I'm going to treat you like a woman." Reached for comment, Fenton told us that Blau was the one who found the witness, Viane Delgado, who says she/he heard Brodigan's anti-Semitic remarks. Fenton says he doesn't know how Blau found Delgado—she is not quoted by any other news outlet and we haven't been able to find her. Blau has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

Brodigan's attorney, Jonathon D. Warner, tells us, "I'm a Jewish lawyer and I firmly believe she did not utter any anti-Semitic remarks, and I would not represent her if I thought otherwise." Brodigan says she'll find out today whether she's losing her job, and she's expected to appear in court on August 25th to face the disorderly conduct charge.

Tagged

arrest

chrissie brodigan

ny post

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plum tv

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reuven blau

reuven fenton

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John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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