Crown Heights Woman Will Sue the NYPD for Doing 'Nothing' to Protect Her from Pro-Israel Mob

Almost three months after a Crown Heights woman says NYPD officers stood by and watched as she was chased through the streets by a mob of more than one hundred Orthodox Jewish men and boys who kicked her, hit her with projectiles, and threatened her with rape, the New York native has lodged a notice of intent to file a $1.25 million lawsuit against the City, alleging the officers' inaction "emboldened" the men to attack her. 

The notice of claim was filed last Wednesday with the Comptroller's Office, and is the first procedural step before filing the lawsuit against the City. Since the April 24 incident, the woman, who is in her 30s and is remaining anonymous both in the media and in her lawsuit to protect her security, said the NYPD's investigation into her assault has gone nowhere, and she'd given up faith in getting accountability through the department.

"It doesn't feel natural to me to not respond to this," the woman told Hell Gate. "What happened was so unjust, from the people who were attacking me to the police not doing anything, and in the wake of that was me really coming to terms with how connected Zionist violence is to New York and to Palestine and beyond." 

Her claim also alleges that the police treat protesters disparately depending on their viewpoints—or perceived viewpoints.

The allegations circle around incidents following protests and counter-protests in Crown Heights on April 24, the night the Chabad-Lubavitch organization hosted a talk by the racist right-wing Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees Israel's border police and who has repeatedly called for cutting off all food and aid to Gaza. His talk attracted pro-Palestine protesters outside the Chabad headquarters on Eastern Parkway. The woman said she was getting ready for bed that night when she heard police helicopters circling overhead and saw reports of protests on social media, and decided to step outside and take a look.