Recently I viewed this video that I came across while surfing the Internet. The video was very heart breaking and not at all pleasing for me to watch. In the video a 29-year-old man by the name of David Crowell while in a train cart about to ride the subway he is suddenly caught in an ambush by a bunch of NYPD officers. Once they surrounded him, they tased him because they are sure that he has not paid the $2.75 that is required for someone to use the subway. He tries resisting but all of them are overpowering as he placed on the ground. In the background while this is happening there are multiple people defending him saying that “he paid his fare.”
To be honest their actions are racially motivated and is racial profiling. I am sure if the situation were changed with the victim being a Caucasian man that the police officers would not tase him at all. I felt sympathy for him because $2.75 is not worth someone getting tased over and being harassed by at least 5 police officers. I was reading the mission of the NYPD and saw that it said, “The mission of the New York City Police Department is to enhance the quality of life in New York City by working in partnership with the community to enforce the law, preserve peace, protect the people, reduce fear, and maintain order.”1 . After what I just witnessed from that video the actions taken by those police officers do not align with their mission which is plain saddening.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
A gang of @NYPDnews officers swarmed onto a train, jumped on and tased a young Black Man. They accused him of fare evasion and many witnesses on the train, tried to explain to the cops that he did pay his fare. pic.twitter.com/2DPXwPFwVR
— Anthony Beckford (@Vote4Beckford) July 14, 2021
For a follow up on the events that occurred I read an article about it, and it was said that Crowell got caught in a confrontation with the NYPD before for letting a rider through without that rider paying their fare. There was also body cam footage of Crowell cursing towards the cops. For him letting the rider on for free and his curing he was charged with “third-degree menacing, second-degree harassment, resisting arrest, and second-degree obstruction of governmental administration” (Insider). I don’t think these charges are quite justified from the footage I viewed on the videos.
Body-worn camera footage shows the man cursing at officers, refusing to exit the train, & threatening them. With additional officers on scene, the man continued to resist arrest, prompting the use of a taser. He was subsequently taken into custody. (2/2) @NYPDTransit @NYCTSubway pic.twitter.com/etjeTp9kKY
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 15, 2021
Throughout history African Americans have had to fight for their rights and to been seen just as much humane as everyone else. While it seems like we are progressing sometimes it feels like a few steps are taken back when I see incidents like this happening. I hope soon that I’ll be able to be a part of us moving forward with the better treatment of African Americans. I can’t imagine if I have a son in the future and I must worry that he would have to go through something like this. It just is not right.
- Mission – NYPD, www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/about/about-nypd/mission.page.
2.Article Source:https://www.insider.com/video-nypd-officers-david-crowell-subway-2021-7