May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and now more than ever, it’s incredibly important to have mental health check-ins with yourself and loved ones in order to stay sane during these challenging times. Taraji P. Henson is working to ensure that in the age of COVID-19, the mental health of those on the frontlines…
One would think that if a person were caught doing the same thing numerous times, and punished for it, they would be deterred from doing it again—or dismissed at the very least. But, that doesn’t appear to be the case in the New York City Police Department. A police officer who was seen brutalizing a black man on video on the streets of New York has had many complaints about his behavior. And he has reportedly cost the city $200,000 in lawsuit payouts, according to The New York Post.
The now-suspended police officer, Francisco Garcia, was captured in a now-viral video slapping and punching a 33-year-old bystander who went to- to-toe with the cop. His past transgressions have cost the city more than $200,000 in payouts over the last six years, according to court records.
Earlier this week, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said it was deferring the charges against the bystander, Donni Wright, in the incident which took place near the corner of East Ninth Street and Avenue D in Manhattan.
Related: Not Reaching! A Pouch to Combat Police Brutality
Based on reporting by the Post, here is a list of previous acts committed by Officer Garcia that has led to the lawsuits filed by the victims:
In 2018, the city doled out its largest settlement, for $120,000. The lawsuit was filed against Garcia and his partner, Gabor Kolman. The lawsuit alleges the pair racially profiled Hector Hernandez in January 2016, which led to a wrongful arrest and assault.
In another case in February 2014, Garcia threw Marcus Bussey to the floor inside a Washington Heights public housing complex and “began assaulting him with fists, shod feet and foreign objects, attacking his legs, knees, thighs, back, ribs and head,” the lawsuit alleges.
Bussey was visiting his girlfriend there at the time of the arrest, according to the suit, which was settled for $27,500 the next year.
A year after Garcia joined the force in October of 2013, the police officer allegedly ridiculed a woman for her sexual orientation at a fast-food joint, the suit says. When the woman, Natae Adams, tried to get his badge number, Garcia allegedly said, “Take a f–king picture of it, f–king d–e!” and later arrested her, according to the suit.
At a time when nearly 30 million Americans are out of work, entire industries have been upended, and much of the world has come to a standstill, celebrities are coming together to support one of the most vulnerable populations in this time of uncertainty: children in foster care.
On Monday, singer Miguel, media personality Terrence J, comedian Lil Rel, and actor and singer Luke James partnered with the Precious Dreams Foundation to release a PSA raising awareness about the more than 435,000 children in foster care.
“If our world feels lost today,” says Terrence J in the video, “then imagine those children and their feelings are more uncertain, anxious, afraid, depressed. And some are even dealing with this crisis alone,” continued James.
The PSA was released on May 4 to kick off National Foster Care Month. The Precious Dreams Foundation says their goal is to encourage donors to “join in giving comfort” to those in foster care, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The org believes that bedtime comfort items like blankets, storybooks, and journals can help young people develop better coping skills to deal with stress, anxiety, and loneliness.
“The responsibility to make children feel seen, heard and comforted is one we all must share in America,” said Nicole Russell, co-founder and executive director of the Precious Dreams Foundation, in a statement. “During the pandemic and always, we must consider the children in our country’s foster care system and provide the necessary tools to support their growth.”
Donations will help support the foundation’s mission to give foster care children its signature comfort bags, which include pajamas, teddy bears, books, journals, therapy putty, and socks. The org says such bedtime necessities provide youth with positive reinforcement to help them dream peacefully – literally and figuratively.
The Precious Dreams Foundation was founded in 2012 by Russell and her mother, Angie Medina, to provide young people under 19 years old living in foster care and homeless shelters with bedtime comfort items and therapeutic programs that promote self-comforting skills. “Whether a bear is held tight after a bad dream or a bedtime story leads to a happy imagination, we hope sleeping can be made easy, we hope to inspire precious dreams,” reads a statement on the org’s website.
In addition to New York City, the foundation has established four local chapters in Chicago, South Florida, Los Angeles, and Baltimore and is working to expand to Houston and Washington D.C.
Watch the PSA below.
One would think that if a person were caught doing the same thing numerous times, and punished for it, they would be deterred from doing it again—or dismissed at the very least. But, that doesn’t appear to be the case in the New York City Police Department. A police officer who was seen brutalizing a black man on video on the streets of New York has had many complaints about his behavior. And he has reportedly cost the city $200,000 in lawsuit payouts, according to The New York Post.
The now-suspended police officer, Francisco Garcia, was captured in a now-viral video slapping and punching a 33-year-old bystander who went to- to-toe with the cop. His past transgressions have cost the city more than $200,000 in payouts over the last six years, according to court records.
Earlier this week, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said it was deferring the charges against the bystander, Donni Wright, in the incident which took place near the corner of East Ninth Street and Avenue D in Manhattan.
Related: Not Reaching! A Pouch to Combat Police Brutality
Based on reporting by the Post, here is a list of previous acts committed by Officer Garcia that has led to the lawsuits filed by the victims:
In 2018, the city doled out its largest settlement, for $120,000. The lawsuit was filed against Garcia and his partner, Gabor Kolman. The lawsuit alleges the pair racially profiled Hector Hernandez in January 2016, which led to a wrongful arrest and assault.
In another case in February 2014, Garcia threw Marcus Bussey to the floor inside a Washington Heights public housing complex and “began assaulting him with fists, shod feet and foreign objects, attacking his legs, knees, thighs, back, ribs and head,” the lawsuit alleges.
Bussey was visiting his girlfriend there at the time of the arrest, according to the suit, which was settled for $27,500 the next year.
A year after Garcia joined the force in October of 2013, the police officer allegedly ridiculed a woman for her sexual orientation at a fast-food joint, the suit says. When the woman, Natae Adams, tried to get his badge number, Garcia allegedly said, “Take a f–king picture of it, f–king d–e!” and later arrested her, according to the suit.
At a time when nearly 30 million Americans are out of work, entire industries have been upended, and much of the world has come to a standstill, celebrities are coming together to support one of the most vulnerable populations in this time of uncertainty: children in foster care.
On Monday, singer Miguel, media personality Terrence J, comedian Lil Rel, and actor and singer Luke James partnered with the Precious Dreams Foundation to release a PSA raising awareness about the more than 435,000 children in foster care.
“If our world feels lost today,” says Terrence J in the video, “then imagine those children and their feelings are more uncertain, anxious, afraid, depressed. And some are even dealing with this crisis alone,” continued James.
The PSA was released on May 4 to kick off National Foster Care Month. The Precious Dreams Foundation says their goal is to encourage donors to “join in giving comfort” to those in foster care, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The org believes that bedtime comfort items like blankets, storybooks, and journals can help young people develop better coping skills to deal with stress, anxiety, and loneliness.
“The responsibility to make children feel seen, heard and comforted is one we all must share in America,” said Nicole Russell, co-founder and executive director of the Precious Dreams Foundation, in a statement. “During the pandemic and always, we must consider the children in our country’s foster care system and provide the necessary tools to support their growth.”
Donations will help support the foundation’s mission to give foster care children its signature comfort bags, which include pajamas, teddy bears, books, journals, therapy putty, and socks. The org says such bedtime necessities provide youth with positive reinforcement to help them dream peacefully – literally and figuratively.
The Precious Dreams Foundation was founded in 2012 by Russell and her mother, Angie Medina, to provide young people under 19 years old living in foster care and homeless shelters with bedtime comfort items and therapeutic programs that promote self-comforting skills. “Whether a bear is held tight after a bad dream or a bedtime story leads to a happy imagination, we hope sleeping can be made easy, we hope to inspire precious dreams,” reads a statement on the org’s website.
In addition to New York City, the foundation has established four local chapters in Chicago, South Florida, Los Angeles, and Baltimore and is working to expand to Houston and Washington D.C.
Watch the PSA below.
