VTMBH Article: Body
On the six-month anniversary of September 11th, a Pakistani immigrant was beaten and arrested on Church Avenue and East 18th Street in Brooklyn. The man, Raja Aftab, was charged with misconduct and released.
Aftab is from Rawalpindi, Pakistan and has lived here with his wife and two children for the past 11 years.
On March 11, around four oclock, I left my job at a health and beauty supply store on Church Avenue to buy a cup of coffee from a store across the street, Aftab recalled. When I was coming back from the coffee shop, some police officers stopped me and asked me where are you going? I replied, Im going back to my workplace across the street. One of the police officers said, you are Taliban, and began beating me. The other three police officers standing near him joined in, and beat me on the street in front of many people. Then they put the handcuffs on me, took me to 70th Precinct, gave me the misconduct summons and released me, Aftab said.
After being released by the police, Aftab went to a restaurant on Coney Island Avenue, looking for someone from the community to help him. One of the restaurant customers called an ambulance when he saw how badly Aftab was hurt.
Officers from the 70th precinct arrived with the ambulance.
An onlooker reported that an officer denied everything. He reportedly said, there was a fight on Church Avenue between some high school students, and Mr. Aftab tried to interfere. He entered an area closed by the police, and later he misbehaved with police officers; thats why he was taken to the precinct and given the summons. And its not true that the police beat him.
I was looking at some high school boys who were fighting over something I was totally unaware of, Aftab responded later. I had no idea why those boys were fighting or what was police were doing there. I even didnt try to interfere.
Aftab was taken to the Coney Island Hospital and discharged around six a.m. after receiving medical treatment.
I am the victim of a hate crime committed by police officials, Aftab said.
Aftab is from Rawalpindi, Pakistan and has lived here with his wife and two children for the past 11 years.
On March 11, around four oclock, I left my job at a health and beauty supply store on Church Avenue to buy a cup of coffee from a store across the street, Aftab recalled. When I was coming back from the coffee shop, some police officers stopped me and asked me where are you going? I replied, Im going back to my workplace across the street. One of the police officers said, you are Taliban, and began beating me. The other three police officers standing near him joined in, and beat me on the street in front of many people. Then they put the handcuffs on me, took me to 70th Precinct, gave me the misconduct summons and released me, Aftab said.
After being released by the police, Aftab went to a restaurant on Coney Island Avenue, looking for someone from the community to help him. One of the restaurant customers called an ambulance when he saw how badly Aftab was hurt.
Officers from the 70th precinct arrived with the ambulance.
An onlooker reported that an officer denied everything. He reportedly said, there was a fight on Church Avenue between some high school students, and Mr. Aftab tried to interfere. He entered an area closed by the police, and later he misbehaved with police officers; thats why he was taken to the precinct and given the summons. And its not true that the police beat him.
I was looking at some high school boys who were fighting over something I was totally unaware of, Aftab responded later. I had no idea why those boys were fighting or what was police were doing there. I even didnt try to interfere.
Aftab was taken to the Coney Island Hospital and discharged around six a.m. after receiving medical treatment.
I am the victim of a hate crime committed by police officials, Aftab said.