On July 6, NYPD officers accused commuter David Crowell of fare evasion in a Harlem subway station. Although the department originally claimed Crowell let someone in without paying, Crowell asserts that he did pay the $2.75 for his cousin.
Either way, what happened next was horrific.
In the now-viral videos, several officers storm inside a crowded train car to arrest Crowell, as witnesses try to explain he already paid. After grabbing hold of him, one shoots Crowell with a taser. “You almost just tased me!” yelled a witness.
So, what did he even get arrested for? Not fare evasion.
If the “crime” was fare evasion, and Crowell paid, why didn’t they just walk away?
He was charged with harassment, resisting arrest, and “menacing.” Bystanders say police knew he paid, and approached him first because Crowell “taunted” them. And sure, in one of the videos, an annoyed Crowell says, “Fuck the police!” But that is NOT illegal.
Crowell says the incident was “probably [his] 15th time being violated by police.” But this time, he’s using the virality of the moment to fight back in court.
Policing fare evasion literally criminalizes poverty. Why are police brutalizing someone because he was upset by their brutality? It's clear: police don’t de-escalate situations. They escalate them themselves.