Kirsten John Foy, Former Bill De Blasio Aide, Sues NYPD For West Indian Day Parade Assault (VIDEO)

Former City Official Suing NYPD For West Indian Day Parade Assault
In this Sept. 26, 2010 photo, police stand along the route of the West Indian-American Day Parade as parade participants make their way along Eastern Parkway in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The New York Police Department is investigating a Facebook group purported to be created by police officers entitled No More West Indian Day Detail, rife with nasty, often racist comments about the annual parade in Brooklyn that has been marred by violence, including this year when two people were fatally shot. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
In this Sept. 26, 2010 photo, police stand along the route of the West Indian-American Day Parade as parade participants make their way along Eastern Parkway in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The New York Police Department is investigating a Facebook group purported to be created by police officers entitled No More West Indian Day Detail, rife with nasty, often racist comments about the annual parade in Brooklyn that has been marred by violence, including this year when two people were fatally shot. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

A former city official is suing the NYPD, claiming cops tripped him during last year's West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn.

Kirsten John Foy, who at the time was an aide to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, told The Daily News he was wearing VIP credentials while on his way to a luncheon at the Brooklyn Museum, when police allegedly tripped him and then violently threw him to the ground.

"When I was tripped, I felt something pop in my knee," Foy said. "When I was lifted off the ground, rear-cuffed, something snapped in my shoulder.”

Because of the scuffle, Foy said he's had to undergo surgery for a fractured kneecap and a torn ligament.

[SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT]

At the time, Foy was accompanied by New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams, who was also cuffed. Both men are black.

Following the embarrassing mix-up, Mayor Bloomberg suggested the NYPD cops make amends with the two officials by getting a beer together.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly apologized to both Foy and Williams, but the department received heavy criticism from many city officials who said the incident mirrors the NYPD's use of stop-and-frisk, which they say unfairly targets blacks and Latinos.

Commenting on the lawsuit, Foy said, "This isn’t just about what happened to me. It happens thousands of times daily to Latino and African-American men who don’t have a high profile like me to stand up and say something about it. The ultimate bottom line will be a change in policy and a change in police behavior."

Last year's Labor Day weekend was a tumultuous one for the NYPD. 67 people were shot in New York City over the three-day weekend. 13 people died in the violence.

A shocking Facebook group run by NYPD officers was discovered shortly after the parade. "No More West Indian Day Parade Detail" acted as a forum for cops to spew racist remarks aimed at paradegoers, calling them "savages" and "animals."

Kelly has since condemned the group.

West Indian Day Parade

West Indian American Carnival in Brooklyn

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