Williamsburg man says NYPD racially targeted him

A Williamsburg man claims he was the victim of a corrupt and violent police force -- but the NYPD says they were doing their jobs.

News 12 Staff

Mar 23, 2019, 12:07 AM

Updated 1,875 days ago

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Williamsburg man says NYPD racially targeted him
A Williamsburg man claims he was the victim of a corrupt and violent police force -- but the NYPD says they were doing their jobs.
Christopher Parham, 20, says his wrists still ache due to an incident in September last year. He says officers yanked him in handcuffs, and put in an unmarked police car. He and his lawyer say they don't know what he did to deserve it.
"Because I'm black, because of the color of my skin, that's why I was targeted," says Parham.
Parham says he was doing errands at a supermarket for his job as a deliveryman. But soon after, he allegedly suffered a concussion after he says police slammed him into a sidewalk and shot him with a Taser.
When asked in their paperwork if they used force, NYPD officers said no.
Surveillance video shows Parham was paying for groceries. Then, a worker told him someone was messing with his bike. He then walks outside and he says he was ambushed.
But the NYPD says officers suspected Parham of stealing an electric scooter. They arrested him for reckless driving and resisting arrest, among other charges.
Parham and his lawyer say it was all a mistake, and the scooter was taken with permission from his boss.
Lawyers with Brooklyn Defender Services, a nonprofit, are offering legal defense for Parham. They offer their services for those who cannot afford it.
The Brooklyn DA's office says they're investigating his arrest.


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