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Maurice Runea's Spoken Testimony:
On Saturday June 27th, 2009 @ around 2pm, I entered BEST BUY on 23rd St and 6th Ave. to get my cell phone repaired and was in the process of speaking with the sales rep when this Afro -American older gentlemen approached me from behind and said put your hands behind your back, I not knowing who he was replied excuse me and he said in a threatening tone put your hands behind your back as he reached for my arm, I started to react but the clerk, who has assisted me many times before mouth to me "Don't fight, he's a cop", So I trusted her advice and he handcuffed me and NEVER NOT ONCE DID HE EVER IDENTIFY HIS SELF.
Now anyone who knows Best Buy on 23rd & 6th knows it is always a very busy store and to be handcuffed, humiliated, degraded and accused was down right wrong and humiliating.
The man preceded to walk me from the front of the store to the back in handcuffs as the customers all stopped and watched as he hauled me off from the front of BEST BUY to the back (and to add to the humiliation he walked me through the store, mind you he still didn't identify his self... I am saddened at how this unfolded, he could of approached me identified his self and asked to see my ID and that would of been fine, but he felt the need to try and humiliate me.
So we get in the back of the store and then he said he was Officer Robert's and pulled out this wanted poster and said you going to tell me this ain't you? I said you have got to be f%$king kidding me, that doesn't look like me the least bit, he took the cuff off and I'm fuming at this point... he asked for my ID, I handed it to him, he looked at it had too BEST BUY employees guard me while he stepped out and was gone for about roughly 4mins. He returned handed me my ID and said Miss. Harrison, here's your ID (Maurice Runea is my 1st and middle name, Harrison is my legal last name)... I took my ID and said this is just the beginning... He replied, what you going to sue? Go ahead the City got alot of money Miss. Harrison, I relied your going to stop calling me Miss and requested his full name, the precinct he works for and his badge# and I also got a copy of the wanted poster... Now this is the killer, when he found out that I am the host of a talk show, write for a magazine and extremely well known, he offered to give me two days of body guard service... ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? He couldn't protect my rights or my dignity, I sure as hell don't trust him with my body!!!
To make matters worse, I'm am a frequent shopper at that BEST BUY, I work on the next block at The Gay Men's Health Crisis and I'm always in the neighborhood shopping, dining and just being a law bidding citizen... I am upset beyond belief with this whole unnecessary situation and the migraine I have proves it... Yeah I was cleared but my reputation is tarnished due to the fact that the customers who saw me being hauled off like a common criminal had long gone about there business by the time I was released and I'm humiliated. I have witnesses who witnessed the entire ordeal and thank God I was still thinking logically enough to get the the name and contact info .
To make matters worse I was scheduled to be at two functions, one a celerity mixer (which I was a 1 and a half late for due to my detainment and then I had to cover the red carpet for The 40th Anniversary commemorative concert and benefit @ the Nokia Theater... I did all this while trying to hold it together because work is work but to make matters worse I had on all white, so just imagine what my pants looked like. That night when I was trying to wind down I simply couldn't.. I would dose and jump up and the migraine got worse... Then Sunday I was scheduled to be at NYC Pride, which I attended still not feeling 100% but was even more uncomfortable seeing the police after my ordeal
I always thought the NYPD was suppose to Serve and Protect, but as of lately I'm feeling like they abuse there power and authority... They speak to you like you don't matter, they use excessive force and are just down right messy with there everyday antics and the city in my opinion the city allows this nonsense to take place on a daily basis. I'm also a little disturbed that this is the type of behavior allowed to take place in BEST BUY.
I am now in the process of handling this situation... I will keep you posted!
Contact the 75th Precinct and let them know we will not tolerate Officer Wilson Robert's handling of this situation:
75th Precinct
1000 Sutter Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11208
(718) 827-3511
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/precincts/precinct_075.shtml
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