CAIR-NY, Allies, Clients Press Conference Announcing NYPD Misconduct Complaints and Call for Accountability and Transparency

MEDIA ADVISORY

CAIR-NY, Allies, Clients Press Conference Announcing NYPD Misconduct Complaints and Call for Accountability and Transparency

(NEW YORK, NY, 8/14/19) – On Thursday, August 15, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), along with civil rights activists and community partners, will hold a press conference outside of NYPD Headquarters at 1 Police Plaza to announce two bias policing and a police excessive use of force complaints with the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB).

CAIR-NY and allies will be calling for police accountability and transparency.

WHAT: Press Conference Announcing NYPD Misconduct Complaints and Call for Accountability and Transparency
WHERE: NYPD Headquarters, 1 Police Plaza
WHEN: Thursday, August 15, 10am
WHO: CAIR-NY; Allies; and Complainants Abrar Chowdhury (and his family) and Rayhanah Alhanafi.
CONTACT:  CAIR-NY Litigation Director Ahmed Mohamed, ahmedmohamed@cair.com; 646-481-2103; CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher, anasher@cair.com; 917-669-4006

The complainants comprise of the following:

Abrar Chowdhury: Abrar is a 16-year-old Muslim teenager of Bengali descent. Abrar was attacked by a 35-40-year-old Hispanic male and other teenagers. Abrar suffered serious bodily harm requiring surgery and a 3-day hospital stay. Abrar had 4 titanium plates inserted in his face. The NYPD did not notify the family of the case closure and stopped communicating with the family after Abrar failed the photo lineup. The family contacted NYPD with case leads but has received no response.

SEE: Photos of Abrar’s Injuries at https://www.cair-ny.org/abrar

Rayhanah Alhanafi: Rayhanah is an African American Muslim woman. Rayhanah was pulled over for a traffic violation. NYPD Officers sought to arrest and search her. Rayhanah did not protest the arrest but informed the Officers that she was Muslim and requested a female officer to pat and search her in accordance with her religious beliefs. Rayhanah was surrounded by 4 male officers. Once Rayhanah took a step backwards, the male officers grabbed and threw her to the ground. One officer placed his knees on her upper back/neck and his hands around her throat. During the assault, Rayhanah pleaded with officer to “stop,” “that hurts,” and “I can’t breathe.” Officers only relented once bystanders started filming and yelling for them to stop. Thereafter, she was denied medical treatment. Rayhanah suffered a hairline fracture in her neck. Rayhanah was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Fatoumata Camara: A black Muslim woman that was victim of a hate crime of May 10, 2019. NYPD allegedly failed to investigate and prematurely closed the case. Camara investigated her own hate crime and NYPD was forced to re-open the investigation on June 7, 2019. However, NYPD has made no arrests since.

SEE: Muslim Woman Investigated Her Own Hate Crime After NYPD Dismissed Her Case

Video: CAIR-NY Represents Muslim Woman Beaten by Group of Teens Hurling Religious, Racial Insults
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QTlNwXMyFA

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

Individuals in New York are asked to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR-NY at (646) 665-7599, or by filing a report at: https://www.cair-ny.org/incident-report/

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

CAIR-NY, Allies, Clients Press Conference Announcing NYPD Misconduct Complaints and Call for Accountability and Transparency

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