THE THIN (BLACK &) BLUE LINE
A homeless man punched and dragged off a subway by cops for allegedly taking up more than one seat on a near-empty train has settled his federal lawsuit against New York City for $135,000 — and one of the officers involved is facing discipline, THE CITY has learned.
The May 25, 2020 incident had initially led to Joseph T. being arrested and charged with felony assault after police officers alleged he’d kicked one of their hands while they tried to cuff him on the platform of a Midtown train station.
But in body camera footage first published by THE CITY weeks after the incident, cops could be seen punching Joseph in the face twice and kicking his belongings off the 6 train at 51st Street at around 12:30 a.m.
The cop who did most of the punching on Joseph is NYPD Officer Adonis Long. Long also pepper sprayed Joseph.
Long claimed that he “sustained swelling and substantial pain to the knuckles of his right hand” from a kick and was transported to the hospital.
Long actually cut his right hand by repeatedly punching Joseph, while the cops used excessive force, made a false arrest, and fabricated evidence, according to the complaint.
Joseph’s attorney, Michael Lumer, noted that Long was not required to personally pay any of the settlement. City lawyers have started to make some cops involved in lawsuits pay out of their own pockets.
“This settlement speaks volumes for why some cops continue to lie and brutalize,” said Lumer. “By paying for Adonis Long’s misconduct without demanding any contribution, the city is effectively endorsing his behavior.”
He added, “Until there’s real accountability and discipline, bad cops will continue to violate the law without consequence.”
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