Two women who were assaulted during a pro-Palestinian rally in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood last April have filed lawsuits against the city, alleging that police officers failed to protect them and instead targeted them due to their views.
According to the lawsuits, Enbar Ozeri and Amanda Luci were both attacked by a group of young men, some of whom were wearing traditional Hasidic garb, during the rally on April 24. The incident occurred near the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters, where pro-Palestinian protesters had gathered to protest a visit by Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Ozeri, who is dual-citizen of the US and Israel, was struck in the head by an object thrown by one of the counterprotesters and required stitches. Luci, who attended the rally simply because she had heard the commotion from her apartment building, was surrounded by a group of men who threatened to assault her and threw objects at her.
Despite having video footage showing the faces of the attackers, no one has been arrested in connection with either attack. The women's lawsuits claim that the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, which is responsible for policing large gatherings, has a biased approach towards pro-Palestinian protesters, who are often lumped together as "left-wing" causes.
The NYPD training manual, according to the lawsuit, cites only left-wing demonstrations as violent and non-compliant. In contrast, it highlights instances of right-wing extremism, such as the Proud Boys incident in Manhattan in 2018. The lawsuits argue that this biased approach allows illegal behavior by far-right groups and creates a hostile environment for pro-Palestinian protesters.
The women's attorney, Leo Glickman, claims that the NYPD is conducting biased protest training and that officers are instructed to view pro-Palestinian protesters as "dangerous" and take a permissive approach towards right-wing extremism. Glickman argues that this policy endangers the public, including Jewish people, who are often targeted by hate crimes.
The lawsuits seek unspecified damages from the city and come at a time when Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has vowed to disband the NYPD's Strategic Response Group. The group's leader, Commissioner Jessica Tisch, has defended the unit, but its critics argue that it is biased towards pro-Israel views and targets pro-Palestinian protesters.
The case highlights the ongoing tensions between pro-Israel groups and pro-Palestinian activists in New York City, where many have called for greater protections for Jewish communities. However, others argue that such measures only serve to perpetuate a cycle of violence and mistrust.
According to the lawsuits, Enbar Ozeri and Amanda Luci were both attacked by a group of young men, some of whom were wearing traditional Hasidic garb, during the rally on April 24. The incident occurred near the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters, where pro-Palestinian protesters had gathered to protest a visit by Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Ozeri, who is dual-citizen of the US and Israel, was struck in the head by an object thrown by one of the counterprotesters and required stitches. Luci, who attended the rally simply because she had heard the commotion from her apartment building, was surrounded by a group of men who threatened to assault her and threw objects at her.
Despite having video footage showing the faces of the attackers, no one has been arrested in connection with either attack. The women's lawsuits claim that the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, which is responsible for policing large gatherings, has a biased approach towards pro-Palestinian protesters, who are often lumped together as "left-wing" causes.
The NYPD training manual, according to the lawsuit, cites only left-wing demonstrations as violent and non-compliant. In contrast, it highlights instances of right-wing extremism, such as the Proud Boys incident in Manhattan in 2018. The lawsuits argue that this biased approach allows illegal behavior by far-right groups and creates a hostile environment for pro-Palestinian protesters.
The women's attorney, Leo Glickman, claims that the NYPD is conducting biased protest training and that officers are instructed to view pro-Palestinian protesters as "dangerous" and take a permissive approach towards right-wing extremism. Glickman argues that this policy endangers the public, including Jewish people, who are often targeted by hate crimes.
The lawsuits seek unspecified damages from the city and come at a time when Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has vowed to disband the NYPD's Strategic Response Group. The group's leader, Commissioner Jessica Tisch, has defended the unit, but its critics argue that it is biased towards pro-Israel views and targets pro-Palestinian protesters.
The case highlights the ongoing tensions between pro-Israel groups and pro-Palestinian activists in New York City, where many have called for greater protections for Jewish communities. However, others argue that such measures only serve to perpetuate a cycle of violence and mistrust.
. I mean, you'd think that the police would be all about keeping everyone safe, but it sounds like they're playing favorites here. These women were literally attacked during a peaceful protest, and no one's been held accountable yet? It just doesn't add up, you know? And what's with this training manual thing? If right-wing extremism is being highlighted as a problem, then why are pro-Palestinian protesters getting the bad treatment? 
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the fact that no one's been arrested yet is just wrong. i think the NYPD needs to review its training manual and make sure they're not perpetuating a hostile environment for anyone who's exercising their rights. maybe we should also be looking at why people are so divided on this issue? it feels like emotions are running high 
. It's all about who's "allowed" to protest and who's not 
. I mean, what if they were pro-Israel? Would the NYPD be so quick to defend them? 
. It's like, our police officers are being taught to be biased from the start 
. No wonder we have these cases of protesters getting hurt and nothing gets done 
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. We need a change in how our police handle protests, like, now 
. It's time for a more balanced approach 
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This whole situation is super frustrating. I feel like the police are more worried about protecting the "right" people than everyone else. All this emphasis on pro-Israel groups being targeted doesn't sit right with me - what about the women who were actually attacked? It's not fair that they're left to deal with the fallout while the NYPD is so slow to act. And let's be real, if you watch those videos of the attackers' faces, it's pretty clear that they had some serious anger towards pro-Palestinian protesters. 
The whole thing just feels like a big mess 
. And it's not just about these two women, it's about all the other people who have been targeted by hate crimes and biases in the city. We need to create a safe space for everyone to express themselves without fear of persecution or violence 
. We need to take action, like Mayor-elect Mamdani is talking about, and make sure that everyone has equal access to justice and safety 
. Can't we just live in peace and respect each other's differences? 
The thing is, there are two sides to every story here and we can't just dismiss the concerns of pro-Israel groups without listening to their perspective too. Maybe this whole situation could be a chance for some real dialogue and understanding between different communities? 
i mean, police are supposed to protect us all, regardless of what we believe. but here, the NYPD is basically saying "hey, pro-palestinian protesters are trouble"... meanwhile, right-wing extremism gets a free pass... its like, where's the justice in that?
and by the way, have you seen those police officers just standing around while all this chaos goes down? 
they deserve it after everything they went through. but at the same time, we need to have a bigger conversation about how we're addressing these kinds of incidents... 
. And now we're hearing that Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani wants to disband the Strategic Response Group because of its biased approach... sounds like a step in the right direction to me 
. But at the same time, I get why pro-Israel groups are calling for greater protections for Jewish communities - it's not like they're asking for much 
️. These two women, Enbar and Amanda, were just trying to make their voices heard at a peaceful protest, but they got assaulted because of their views on Palestine 
. Citing only left-wing demos as violent and non-compliant? That's just not cool 
. What about all those right-wing extremist incidents in 2018? Shouldn't they be highlighted too? 
. It's like they're expecting us to just sit back and let hate crimes happen? 
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