Some Answers

I recently wrote about not receiving any answers as to whether or not any of NYC's new 3000+ tasers will be making an appearance at LGBT Pride 2008 events. Since that writing I have heard back the the NYCLU, but not from my city council member Alan Gersin.

The NYCLU informed me that, yes, it's expected that the NYPD will be sporting tasers at Pride this year. They also reassured me that they will have people there monitoring for abuses. They also pointed me to this card with recommendations for handling police stops.

I'm headed up to the street festival later today. I'm hoping I don't have anything to report here later.

Also, I'm not reprinting the NYCLU's email here because I never proposed that in my note to them. I also want to add, for the record, that I'm not anti-police, they have an important function. However, I am against police brutality and am against them liberally using dangerous weapons while claiming that they're safe.

PostBlog: I didn't see any tasers or tasing at a very wet, but enthusiastic pride. Believe me. I looked (poor Stuart), but didn't see any belts that appeared like this. That doesn't mean tasers weren't there; I'm sure they were. It just means that in my walk up 14th Street, to Equality Forum, and down Hudson River Park, I didn't see any hanging from police belts. If anyone know of any incidents, be sure to let me (and the NYCLU and the Civilian Complaint Review Board) know.