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Two Occupy Wall Street Protesters Sue NYPD for False Arrest, Excessive Force

HeadlineNov 22, 2011

Two Occupy Wall Street protesters have sued the New York City Police Department for false arrest and excessive force arising from a protest at a Citibank branch last month. One of the protesters, 23-year-old Heather Carpenter, received national attention after a video was posted online showing an undercover police officer dragging her into the bank and then arresting her. Carpenter was detained moments after she closed her Citibank account.

Undercover police officer: “You were inside. You were inside with everybody else.”

Heather Carpenter: “I’m a customer. I’m a customer.”

Witness: “She is a customer.”

Heather Carpenter: “I’m a customer.”

Undercover police officer: “You were inside. Yes, but you were inside with the whole—no, no, no.”

witness: “What are you doing?”

Witness: “Hey, what the—hey!”

Witness: “What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? This is all being documented right now. She’s not doing anything! She’s not doing anything wrong! Oh, my god! This is wrong! This is wrong! This is wrong! What you’re doing is wrong! This is wrong! You should be ashamed of yourself! Shame! Shame! Shame!”

Heather Carpenter was arrested along with her fiancé and others who attempted to close their accounts.

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