Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
More Pepper-Sprayed Occupy Wall Street Protesters Sue NYPD
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 31, 2012
Modified Jul 31, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy Rankin & Taylor
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 31, 2012
Modified Jul 31, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Three more Occupy Wall Street protesters are suing the NYPD for being pepper-sprayed during demonstrations last fall—two of them at the hands of Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna. But the suit goes beyond seeking damages for the individuals and asks for the courts to establish judicial supervision over how police oversee protests. "We are seeing a lot of instances of NYPD officers using force on people, but not arresting them," says Mark Taylor, one of the attorneys for the protesters. "A lot of these incidents are the police department attempting to intimidate people, trying to scare them away from demonstrating."
Two of the women seen in the widely circulated video of Deputy Inspector Bologna's use of pepper spray sued the officer and the city in February, but these new lawsuits are unrelated. None of the three plaintiffs, Damien Crisp, Julie Lawler, and Kelly Hanlin, were arrested after being pepper-sprayed, and the name of the officer who pepper-sprayed Hanlin is unknown. The city is leaving Bologna to pay for his own defense in the case of the two complaints announced in February, and it's unclear whether they will do the same with these lawsuits.
Taylor says the delay in filing the suits can be attributed to the time needed to file a notice of claim, "[the firm's] current work load," and the 132-page report released last week by the NYU School of Law's Global Justice Clinic documenting a litany of human rights violations on the part of the NYPD during Occupy Wall Street demonstrations.
"You need a strong basis for the sort of judicial intervention that we're requesting for, and we believe that report provides it," Taylor says. "We knew they were compiling it so we waited for it to be released—we're kind of piggybacking on their research."
Taylor points to the Handschu agreement, a court-ordered set of regulations that guide the NYPD's methods of surveilling the public as precedent (although those guidelines were drastically altered after 9/11 to give the department considerably more leeway).
"There are requests for monetary damages in the suits, and punitive damages—as anyone would seek if they were wrongfully pepper-sprayed," Tayor says. "But this is mostly about changing the way the NYPD's policy. Ray Kelly isn't going to do it, the mayor isn't going to do it, so we're asking the courts to step in."
You can watch a video of Crisp and Lawler describe their ordeal below.
Tagged
handschu
human rights violations
lawsuits
nypd
occupy wall street
pepper spray
Ray Kelly
tony bologna
original
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.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
The Bronx is getting a new casino and a reimagined Ferry Point Park, too
Here's a look at designs for a redeveloped park, including new amenities, landscaping and other improvements.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman spar over immigration, cost of living in debate
The Democratic incumbent repeatedly invoked President Donald Trump. The Republican challenger largely avoided bringing up New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
By
Jon Campbell
News
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman spar over immigration, cost of living in debate
The Democratic incumbent repeatedly invoked President Donald Trump. The Republican challenger largely avoided bringing up New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
By
Jon Campbell
Manhattan neurologist charged with sexually abusing 2 patients, DA says
By
Giulia Heyward
Years of bus headaches start Thursday as Port Authority advances Midtown terminal work
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
ICE admits to using Roxbury, NJ warehouse site to process immigrants
By
Mike Hayes
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .