Gina Telaroli
August 5, 2008 | 10:07 am EST
Good news! The cop who we wrote about body checking a cyclist this past August has been indicted!
From Gothamist:
Sources say that Pogan (the NYPD officer in question) is being charged with felonies for filing a false police report after arresting Christopher Long, who was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Pogan also accused Long of riding his bike straight into him, knocking them both down and causing a “laceration” on his arm, all of which contradict the incendiary video. (The charges against Long were dropped in September.) Pogan was stripped of his gun and badge in July after the video surfaced, and may also be charged with misdemeanor assault.
What good news! It is so important that we hold our cops accountable for their actions, being that we grant them so much power. Hopefully this case won’t turn out like the Sean Bell one did.
takepart with the People’s Justice Coalition to help fight against police brutality.
(Photo: Mike Hudack’s Flickr Photostream)
For an update on the disgusting story of the NYPD officer that body-checked a cyclist that I wrote about last week, head on over to Gothamist, where they discuss how city council members are urging a much needed investigation into the recent harassment of cyclists by the police.
Here’s an excerpt from the letter that the council members wrote:
There has been a history of police harassment of cyclists, especially during the monthly Manhattan Critical Mass group bicycle ride. Most often, these attacks are unprovoked and aggressive, and the behavior of police towards cyclists is anything but the courtesy, professionalism, and respect on which NYPD prides itself. The recent incident involving Mr. Long is a particularly disturbing example of the NYPD’s attitude towards cyclists, one that happened to be caught on video tape.
There’s an awful, yet important video, making it’s way around the internet right now that features a NYPD officer body-slamming a cyclist off of their bike during the last Critical Mass. The cop is claiming that that the rider, 29 year old Christopher Long, rode into him - the video would seem to suggest otherwise:
What do you think? In a surprising turn of events, action is actually being taken against the cop and he was stripped of his gun and badge pending an investigation. Although it is quite disturbing that Long was bruised, arrested for attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct and spent 26 hours in jail.
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French Daredevil Alain Robert scaled the 52 story north face of The New York Times building today bearing a message on Global Warming. The 46-year-old stuntman, who has previously climbed the Eiffel Tower, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and the Sydney Opera House, ascended the entire height of the New York City skyscraper with his bare hands while carrying a green banner with the message “Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week.” printed on it.
Robert stopped traffic on West 41st Street as onlookers gathered and police cordoned off the sidewalk below his ascent. Once he reached the roof of the building the crowd let out a cheer and a huge round of applause. Shortly thereafter Robert was arrested by the NYPD.
When asked why he chose the NY Times building, Robert replied, “This is a green building, which is a fantastic step.” Asked about the difficulty of the climb, he said, “No, the building was easy. It was just a statement. Plus, I’m a professional climber.”
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Director Werner Herzog and Actor Nicolas Cage are currently in preproduction on a project based on the Abel Ferrara film, “Bad Lieutenant”. According to an interview with Herzog by Defamer, the new movie will not be a remake, per se, of the unforgettable 1992 original which starred Harvey Keitel as a crooked, corrupt, drug addicted, degenerate gambler New York City Police Department Lieutenant who chooses to bet against the Mets at the wrong time. Rather, Herzog explained, he and Cage will do a continuation of the character. At least that’s what I think he said:
“Yes, but its not a remake. It’s like, for example, you wouldn’t call a new James Bond movie a remake of the previous one - although the name of the bad lieutenant is a different one, and the story is completely different.”
In another departure from Ferrara’s version, the new film will be set and shot in New Orleans, a decision Herzog says producer Edward R. Pressman - who also produced the original - made because of tax incentives, but that intrigues the director nonetheless. “…I thought to myself: “We have seen a lot of New York in movies; we have not seen New Orleans in feature films.” Or very few feature films. After Katrina it’s a particularly interesting set-up. The neglect and politics after the hurricane struck are something quite amazing. It has to do with public morality.” he explained.
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