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NYPD Union Leader: Tony Bologna Is A Scapegoat
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 15, 2012
Modified Feb 15, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 15, 2012
Modified Feb 15, 2012
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A NYPD union president claims that Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna is being used as a scapegoat for his decision to pepper spray a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters in September. "Let's remember who created the atmosphere. He didn't do anything wrong using the pepper spray," Sergeant Ed Mullins of the Sergeants Benevolent Association told the Staten Island Advance. "He made a decision to use the pepper spray and it wasn't popular. It's a failure [on the part of NYPD higher-ups] to take responsibility. There's a lack of leadership."
Bologna and the city are being sued by two of the protesters for "physical pain and mental suffering." Prominent criminal defense attorney Christopher Leibig tells the paper that the protesters have a good chance of success, noting that based on the video evidence, the women weren't provoking or threatening Bologna. "Pepper spray is never, ever meant to be for punishment. It's only for when other forms of restraint don't work," Leibig says.
The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau docked Bologna ten vacation days and "exiled" him to Staten Island, where presumably he is undergoing a personal renaissance under the tutelage of Hipster Cop, and will reemerge anew at the movie premiere of Spray Me Tony: The Anthony Bologna Story at the Tribeca Film Festival next year.
Tagged
anthony bologna
excessive force
nypd
occupy wall street
pepper spray
staten island
tony bologna
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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