A woman who was shoved to the ground by an NYPD officer during a protest over the death of George Floyd in a widely seen video sued the city in federal court.
Dounya Zayer said in a lawsuit filed Monday that she was “brutally struck” by officer Vincent D’Andraia at a May 29 protest in Brooklyn as she exercised her constitutional right to protest.
Bystander video of D’Andraia pushing the Zayer was viewed millions of times on Twitter and spurred outrage among protesters and elected officials. D’Andraia was charged with assault and suspended without pay.
The altercation sent Zayer to the hospital with what she has said was a concussion and a seizure after hitting her head on the pavement. She also experienced anxiety, fear and humiliation, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, names the city, the NYPD and D’Andraia among the defendants.
"The City of New York, by and through the NYPD, has engaged in a well-documented scheme to impose violence upon those who are peacefully exercising their Constitutional rights,” according to the complaint.
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A spokesperson for the city’s law department said they would review the case.
The NYPD’s treatment of peaceful protesters came under fire earlier this year amid daily demonstrations spurred by Floyd’s killing and police brutality against people of color. More than 40 officers also suffered injuries in the protests.
