Closing arguments are set for Friday in the trial of Bronx resident and anti-police brutality activist Juanita Young.
Young is charged with obstructing government administration and attempted assault stemming from a November 2006 incident in which she was arrested at her home. But Young, who is 53 years old and partially blind, says she was the one who was assaulted : She says that after police arrived at her home in response to a 911 call placed by one of her daughters who had gotten into an altercation with another daughter, several officers barricaded her in her room, held her down, and struck her several times.
Young was hospitalized for several days, according to the October 22 Coalition To Stop Police Brutality, an organization with which Young is active. The Coalition is urging Young's supporters to pack the courtroom tomorrow, as well as Monday - -when a verdict is expected.
Young's lawyer, Geoffrey Stewart, told the West Bronx News Blog Thursday that the assault charge is based on the allegation that Young threw a container during the incident.
Young's experience with law enforcement has been bitter, to say the least. In March 2000, her son Malcolm Fergusson, 23, was shot and killed by the NYPD in Soundview; Fergusson's name was added to the list of unarmed men of color killed by the police. Young sued the city for wrongful death, and won: In June 2007, a jury awarded her $10.7 million. In October 2007, Young won a separate lawsuit against the city stemming from a 2003 incident in which she alleged police threw her down a flight of stairs while arresting her during an eviction. Young was charged with trespassing in her own home but was later acquitted.
Young's trial is set to resume at 9:30 am Friday in Part 06, Room 460 of the Bronx County Hall of Justice, at 265 E. 161st Street.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Juanita Young trial expected to end Friday
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