These cops are clowns.
A gadfly who repeatedly called 311 to complain about city workers’ cars clogging sidewalks, bike lanes, and bus stops in downtown Brooklyn claims police officers began prank-calling him in retaliation.
Justin Sherwood charges in a lawsuit that he was harassed three times in August and September 2021, including once by a caller claiming to be a detective who screamed, “Stop calling, d–khead!”
Another caller identified himself as a member of the NYPD and then hung up; and a third call was made by a member of the NYPD pretending to be a 311 operator, according to court papers.
The incidents were reported on the website StreetsblogNYC on Oct. 18, 2021, and on the same day, Sherwood claims he got a text from a strange number warning him, “Keep f–king around,” according to the lawsuit he filed in Brooklyn Federal Court against the city, the NYPD and others.
The text came shortly after Sherwood filed 11 complaints to 311 about the illegally parked vehicles in a 20-minute span, he said in the legal filing.
Sherwood has been campaigning for years against the scofflaw cars parked by government employees, including cops, on Jay Street, a crowded area that includes multiple courthouses, a large US Post Office, schools, and FDNY headquarters.
“Mr. Sherwood feels strongly about this issue because illegally parked cars on sidewalks and bike lanes are dangerous, and police should not flout laws they are supposed to enforce and create safety hazards without accountability,” his lawyer, Gideon Oliver, told The Post.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board substantiated abuse of authority complaints against four officers — John Madera; Arthur Sturman; Tiagom Reis and Detective Samantha Sturman — for the August, September, and October calls, records show.
The city Law Department and the NYPD declined to comment on the allegations.
