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Handicapped Janitor Suing After Cops Forced Her To Wear "I'M DOPE" Shirt
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 7, 2015
Modified Mar 7, 2015
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 7, 2015
Modified Mar 7, 2015
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A handicapped janitor is suing the NYPD after two officers allegedly forced her to wear a t-shirt reading, "I'M DOPE," and took an embarrassing photo of her in it.
"They asked me if I could read it, and I said that I couldn’t read," 53-year-old Hannah Biggan, who worked as a janitor at 52nd Precinct station house for 23 years, was quoted as saying in her lawsuit. "I tried to read it, but I couldn’t. When I got home, my sister Maryann told me what it said...And I got really depressed and angry at them for doing that to me because I’ve never done anything bad to them."
Biggan says in the suit that she became suicidal after the May 2013 incident ("I wanted to hurt myself. I did think of ways to do it, like, get hit by a car") and had to go on leave; she no longer gets benefits from her old job as a result. Her discrimination lawsuit is directed at Officers Nicholas Konner and John Repetti; Konner was the one who asked her to wear the overly large 3XL shirt, which he claims was a gift from rapper Cash Cow.
She says that when her sister told her what the shirt said, she thought it meant "kind of, like, I was stupid."
Cash Cow, aka Justin Ross, told the Post that he was outraged at the story, and promised he would hold a fund-raiser in her honor. "Hannah Biggans is more than what she is. There are a lot of Hannah Bigganses all over the place and we want them to know they are supported," Ross said.
Tagged
cops
dope
Hannah Biggan
lawsuit
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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