Members of Arc of Justice, led by Rev. Kevin McCall and attorney Sanford Rubenstein, walked from Jay Street-MetroTech to the 84th Precinct on Gold Street Monday afternoon where they demanded that the officer who punched student Benjamin Marshall in the face during a subway brawl last month.
Marshall’s parents Anthony Noel and his mother Victoria Noel joined the mini-protest of about 15 demonstrators marching to the station house from the Jay Street station where the incident occurred.
Outrage over the incident was stirred up by a video that shows the attack on the student by a single police officer.
This video shows NYPD Officers brutally beating on Black Teens at the Jay Street – Metrotech. I refuse to stay quiet. I am demanding immediate accountable of all officers involved, especially the one who kept punching these children. pic.twitter.com/9fYT1ph6YR
— Dr. Anthony Beckford (@AnthonyBNYC) October 27, 2019
Rubenstein said Marshall, a student at Science Skills High School, was not involved in the fight according to witnesses, but, “the victim of excessive use of force by a police officer who punched him in the face multiple times without any justification.”
McCall called on the NYPD and the incoming police commissioner, Dermot Shea, to “fire” the offending officer who they say has a history of abuse. Shea will take the job Dec. 1 and replace James O’Neill, who announced his resignation Monday.
“We are calling on the NYPD to fire this officer,” McCall said. “If you want to fix community policing, then we need justice, and we won’t stop till we get it.”
The incident occurred at 2:20 p.m. on Oct. 25 when officers from the 84th Precinct and Transit District 33 were following a group into the train station as they brawled on the street; they were also followed by a large group of other student bystanders who were seeking to commute home from school.
On Friday, a large protest that started at the Barclays Center escalated into a massive march to the precinct. Several people were reported arrested, but there were no injuries.
