“This kind of blatant homophobia has no place in policing, and the reforms achieved in this lawsuit aim to safeguard against future abuses like the ones experienced and challenged by Mr. The Manhattan district attorney’s office dismissed the charges against Holden. Both men said they were falsely accused - and both were ultimately cleared. Police arrested Holden and Mejia on charges of public lewdness, claiming they were spotted masturbating.
The two named plaintiffs, Cornell Holden and Miguel Mejia, had similar experiences at the bus terminal in 2014, according to the lawsuit.īoth described standing at a urinal and having a plainclothes officer stand at the urinal next to them, then step back in an apparent attempt to see their hands and genitals. Many had claimed the charges were baseless, brought by officers who targeted men using the restrooms if they perceived them as gay, largely to inflate their arrest statistics. Get the NBC 4 New York app for iOS or Android and pick your alerts. Stay informed about local news and weather.
