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To Serve and
Protect I've been rather insulated from violence during my life. It always seemed something relegated to Chuck Norris television shows and Quentin Tarantino movies. But, this December, a friend and I were roughed up by a gang of muggers in the Bronx. I was held and punched in the face several times. Unfortunately, the guy was also wearing a ring and I almost had to have my head partially shaven to get my scalp stitched up. Luckily, the NYPD responded quickly and had my assailants in custody within hours. When you're at the physical mercy of a group of criminals, it's a rather terrifying sensation — you have absolutely no control over the situation. I can only imagine how frightening it must have been for Brian de Moya a couple of weeks ago. Though the exact details have not been verified by everyone involved, basically what happened was this: Brian was getting ready for bed, when a Safety and Security officer entered his room barking orders at de Moya and then at his roommate, who had thrown a small party a couple hours earlier. The situation escalated, and the S &S officer called for the Hanover Police. In an effort to diffuse all of this, de Moya walked away, heading down the stairs of his dormitory. As he stood on a landing, he heard an S&S officer shout out, and the next thing he knew he was being slammed against a concrete wall by a Hanover Police Officer. The officer pressed him against the ground shouting obscenities in his ear, threatening to Mace him. The other officers were less than sympathetic. When, disoriented and beat up, de Moya began to cry, they taunted him. He was gruffly manhandled down to a waiting squad car and taken to the station, where he could be charged for intoxication and held in “protective custody.” Unfortunately for the Hanover PD, de Moya insisted on a breathalyzer test, and blew a BAC of .000. Left without a charge, they had to free him. Dick's House later documented his injuries. de Moya's attackers were supposed to be the very people who protected him from violence. There is no excuse, especially in a safe, sleepy town like Hanover, for the police to injure anyone, not to mention an innocent, sober college student who never even resisted arrest. Safety and Security also showed a rather serious lack of judgement. This is the same agency — mind you — that wanted to carry firearms just a few years ago. The police officers I dealt with in the Bronx were real veterans, and they spent most of their days working grisly stabbings and shootings. Still, they were extremely courteous, sympathetic, and professional throughout my ordeal. It was easy for me to draw the line between the good guys and the bad ones; for Brian de Moya, it may be a little bit harder now. -- Benjamin Patch |
