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Occupy Protester Who Suffered Seizure During Arrest Stands Accused Of Felony
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 10, 2014
Modified Feb 10, 2014
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 10, 2014
Modified Feb 10, 2014
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An Occupy Wall Street protester stands trial today for assaulting a police officer during a demonstration on the six month anniversary of the movement. Cecily McMillan, then 23, suffered a seizure during a violent altercation with protesters in Zuccotti Park on the night of March 17th, 2012, and was arrested after police said she elbowed an officer in the face during her detention. Protesters there describe how McMillan convulsed on the pavement for several minutes while officers stood mutely over her body.
"I can't really explain what happened," McMillan told Democracy Now shortly after her arrest. "I know that I kept waking up places." McMillan was hospitalized for bruised ribs and limbs. She is being charged with felony assault of an officer, which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.
“The main issue here is the heavy-handed, over-policing by the NYPD during the Occupy Wall Street protests, which lead to crimes where none existed," Martin R. Stolar, McMillan's attorney, says in a release.
Of the accusations that McMillan physically resisted her arrest, Stolar says, "It was a normal reaction for a woman to react, to be startled after having her right breast grabbed.” A deep bruise in the shape of a hand print can be seen in McMillan's interview with Democracy Now.
The jury trial, one of the last involving Occupy Wall Street protesters on the docket, is expected to last several days.
Tagged
occupy wall street
police misconduct
Zuccotti Park
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
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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