A primary care doctor says cops at City College in Harlem injured him while taking him into custody as the NYPD moved into break up an encampment on school grounds.
According to 42-year-old Fernando Bobis, who works out of a practice in Washington Heights, he joined the protest from the sidewalk chanting when he said police moved in.
“An SRG individual told me to ‘back the f–k up’ and pushed me with all of his might in the chest and full extension of his arms. He did that three times, and on the third time, I sort of put my hands up to protect myself and he started pulling on everything that was attached to me,” Bobis told amNewYork Metro on Wednesday. “Then a couple police jumped on top of me.”
Bobis recounted this story while standing in the shadow of One Police Plaza after he said he was arrested and then released. He stood with his arm in a sling and scrapes and cuts on his hands.
“It hurt like hell,” Bobis said. “They forced my hands together and zip tied me as tightly as they could. And actually, that was one of the most painful things because within minutes, I couldn’t feel my hands.”
Bobis went on to claim that police bound his wrists so tight that another arrestee commented that it appeared his hands were turning blue. Apparently, this person demanded officers cut the doctor loose, which they did before attempting to get the circulation flowing again and rebounding him less restrictively. Bobis said that he was left with his hands tied until 6:30 a.m.
While Bobis didn’t comment on the exact nature of his injuries, he claims he was in a great deal of pain.
Mayor Eric Adams, however, praised the NYPD’s response to the encampment sweeps at both Columbia University and City College, which saw a combination of 282 arrests.
“The NYPD’s precision policing ensured that the operation was organized, calm, and there were no injuries or violent clashes,” Mayor Adams said, despite several videos circulating online that appeared to show officers wrestling with protesters.
Police flooded Columbia University and City College Tuesday night after the demonstration on the grounds of Columbia rapidly and dangerously escalated when protesters broke into Hamilton Hall and occupied it for nearly 24 hours.
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