NYDN\Sushi lover wins $26G in fishy '04 Republican National Convention bust

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009..._rnc_bust.html

Sushi lover wins $26G in fishy '04 Republican National Convention bust
by Rocco Parascandola
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
New York Daily news | Wednesday, 16-Sep-2009, 4:00 AM

The city has shelled out nearly $2 million to settle suits by
people arrested during the Republican National Convention --
including $26,000 paid to a guy nabbed on his way to dinner.

Alexander Dunlop was biking to get sushi on Aug. 27, 2004,
when he was arrested near a Critical Mass protest.

He was accused of ramming his bike into a line of cops, but
video evidence didn't support that claim and the charges were
eventually dismissed.

His lawyer Gina Bonica said the tape prosecutors submitted
had been doctored to delete scenes that showed Dunlop trying
to avoid the protest -- not take part in it.

A second tape shot from the same NYPD camera -- which emerged
during an unrelated RNC lawsuit case -- had those scenes.

"It showed me being innocent," said Dunlop, 36.

The Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment on
the settlement. During pretrial proceedings, prosecutors denied
that scenes that would have cleared Dunlop were cut from the tape.

The NYPD also declined to comment, and arresting Officer Mayra
Gomez could not be reached for comment. Police sources said the
NYPD decided not to discipline her in the case.

Dunlop, who owns a holistic shop and lives in Union Square, said
he was trying to avoid the protest and had stopped to ask for
help getting through when he was busted for disorderly conduct
and resisting arrest.

New York Daily News (via Jym Dyer) wrote:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009..._rnc_bust.html

Sushi lover wins $26G in fishy '04 Republican National Convention bust
by Rocco Parascandola
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
New York Daily news | Wednesday, 16-Sep-2009, 4:00 AM

The city has shelled out nearly $2 million to settle suits by
people arrested during the Republican National Convention --
including $26,000 paid to a guy nabbed on his way to dinner.

Alexander Dunlop was biking to get sushi on Aug. 27, 2004,
when he was arrested near a Critical Mass protest.

He was accused of ramming his bike into a line of cops, but
video evidence didn't support that claim and the charges were
eventually dismissed.

His lawyer Gina Bonica said the tape prosecutors submitted
had been doctored to delete scenes that showed Dunlop trying
to avoid the protest -- not take part in it.

A second tape shot from the same NYPD camera -- which emerged
during an unrelated RNC lawsuit case -- had those scenes.

"It showed me being innocent," said Dunlop, 36.

The Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment on
the settlement. During pretrial proceedings, prosecutors denied
that scenes that would have cleared Dunlop were cut from the tape.

The NYPD also declined to comment, and arresting Officer Mayra
Gomez could not be reached for comment. Police sources said the
NYPD decided not to discipline her in the case.

Dunlop, who owns a holistic shop and lives in Union Square, said
he was trying to avoid the protest and had stopped to ask for
help getting through when he was busted for disorderly conduct
and resisting arrest.

A real deterrent to this type of behavior would be firing and criminal
charges of false arrest.

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" - Juvenal
(Who will watch the watchers?)

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007

A real deterrent to this type of behavior would be firing and
criminal charges of false arrest.

=v= It is unlikely that the District Attorney's office will
be onboard for any criminal charges. They had no trouble going
after 1800 arrestees on the basis of no evidence and using NYPD
officers who were repeatedly proven to be committing perjury.
Real evidence such as these videos exonerated the overwhelming
majority of these folks, but generally only after a year of
malicious prosecution from the D.A.'s office.

=v= There are many civil suits underway, but as you can see the
wheels of justice turn very slowly if it takes somebody whose
case was so flagrantly bogus 5 years to get a settlement.

=v= As for firing responsible parties, Ass. Chief Bruce Smolka,
who headed the entire operation against RNC protesters, had
already dodged accountability for running a Special Operations
unit that killed an unarmed, innocent man with 41 bullets.
He has since retired comfortably to a sinecure in the private
sector. Good luck getting any accountability from higher-ups
such as NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly and billionaire Mayor
Mike Bloomberg.
_Jym_

Jym Dyer wrote:
A real deterrent to this type of behavior would be firing and
criminal charges of false arrest.

=v= It is unlikely that the District Attorney's office will
be onboard for any criminal charges. They had no trouble going
after 1800 arrestees on the basis of no evidence and using NYPD
officers who were repeatedly proven to be committing perjury.
Real evidence such as these videos exonerated the overwhelming
majority of these folks, but generally only after a year of
malicious prosecution from the D.A.'s office.

=v= There are many civil suits underway, but as you can see the
wheels of justice turn very slowly if it takes somebody whose
case was so flagrantly bogus 5 years to get a settlement.

=v= As for firing responsible parties, Ass. Chief Bruce Smolka,
who headed the entire operation against RNC protesters, had
already dodged accountability for running a Special Operations
unit that killed an unarmed, innocent man with 41 bullets.
He has since retired comfortably to a sinecure in the private
sector. Good luck getting any accountability from higher-ups
such as NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly and billionaire Mayor
Mike Bloomberg.

All the above problems could be cured by democracy.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007