Photos: Wikimedia Commons\Facebook
Lawyer Lauren P. Raysor, (shown above) will hold a press conference on Monday April 20th, at 4:30 PM, to announce that she is filing a lawsuit against the New York Police Department (NYPD) on behalf of Andre Brown, who was allegedly unlawfully arrested and detained by officers without being read his rights.
Ms. Raysor claims NYPD officers executed a “no-knock” warrant upon entering the residence of Andre Brown.
On the morning of March 5, 2021, Mr. Brown, who was living in the basement of his family’s house in Jamaica, Queens with his girlfriend, Deidre Covington, heard a noise coming from upstairs and went to investigate. He saw a group of NYPD officers — their faces and badges covered with dark cloth — pointing their guns at him. They made him and his girlfriend get dressed, cuffed Mr. Brown and pulled them into a police van without explanation.
Meanwhile, another group of officers told Mr. Brown’s family, who were upstairs, not to move. None of the officers produced a warrant before entering the premises.
Mr. Brown spent 25 minutes in the van. A short while later, Ms. Covington was released. Mr. Brown was taken to the precinct, where he was ticketed for possession of marijuana. He spent 90 minutes in a jail cell after being fingerprinted and photographed.
Five days later, the District Attorney’s Office determined the NYPD did not have a case against Mr. Brown.
Ms. Raysor says most “no-knock” warrants are executed in communities of color and this incident could have resulted in tragic consequences, similar to what happened with Breonna Taylor.
The press conference will take place at the Roosevelt Professional Building at 11 Prospect Avenue in Mount Vernon.
