A federal lawsuit has been filed against the City of New York and NYPD officials by Derrick Ingram. Ingram is the co-founder of Warriors in the Garden, a youth-led activist collective.
On August 7th of 2020, NYPD arrived at the activists home with a massive show of force. Some of the resources utilized by NYPD that day were drones, K-9 police dogs, and officers in tactical gear.
According to Derrick, he was in his apartment when police ordered him to come out and surrender. NYPD officers waited outside of his apartment door to arrest him for an unknown reason to Mr. Ingram at the time.
Ingram was live streaming the altercation that lasted nearly six hours on the Instagram platform. Ingram himself in the live feed said to police officers who were banging repeatedly on his apartment door that he was coordinating an exit with his lawyer.
Police had the apartment surrounded while officers in tactical gear entered the building. Police were seen speaking to Ingrams legal representative outside of his apartment during the standoff.
The suit also alleges that Mr. Ingram was a victim of targeted surveillance due to his role in advocating against police brutality. His lawsuit alleges the NYPD violated his civil rights during the standoff.
During Ingram’s live stream, police officers could be heard identifying themselves as the “Warrant Squad” and were also heard saying Derrick would be arrested as part of an ongoing investigation.
Police apparently were not able to secure a warrant for Mr. Ingrams arrest and left the scene. This caused protesters that gathered in street outside of Derrick’s apartment to erupt into cheers.
Ingram eventually exited his apartment covered by a sheet and driving off with his legal representation.
Derrick Ingram turned himself the next day by marching to local precinct with Hawk Newsome. Ingram was charged with a second degree assault felony for allegedly causing the temporary hearing loss of an NYPD officer, after shouting through a bullhorn during a protest.
According to the press release : The suit alleges that the NYPD violated Mr. Ingram’s civil rights when officers stormed his apartment building without a warrant in an egregious show of force that involved drones, snipers, police dogs, and dozens of officers in tactical gear.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Ingram drew attention from the NYPD for his public-facing role as an advocate against police brutality and systemic racism, particularly against Black Americans. According to the complaint, the NYPD accosted Mr. Ingram and cornered him in his home for nearly six hours on August 7, 2020, causing him to fear for his life. As community members gathered outside Mr. Ingram’s home, the NYPD left without ever producing an arrest warrant
The complaint also alleges that Mr. Ingram was targeted with fabricated assault allegations by a member of the NYPD following his participation in a June 14, 2020, protest, and that he was surveilled by the NYPD after lodging a police misconduct complaint on July 12, 2020, according to press rele9
Video by Oliya Scootercaster (FNTV Freedomnews.tv)
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