Dr. Clyde Pemberton, owner of the MIST restaurant in Harlem, is suing the NYPD after he was falsely arrested for trying to help three white women who were dragging a drunk friend out of his New York restaurant. Here’s what happened according to the NY Times.
On June 1, 2017, Dr. Pemberton, a retired psychiatrist, was holding a business meeting at his restaurant when he saw two women leaving the bathroom, dragging a third woman who was visibly unconscious across the room at 10:30 p.m., the complaint states. The women, who were all white, knocked over a stanchion of a rope blocking off a section of the restaurant to customers.
When Dr. Pemberton, now 68, walked over to the women to ask what was wrong and suggested the unconscious woman be placed in a chair, one woman punched him in the chest and referred to him with a racial slur, according to the complaint.
A second woman struck Dr. Pemberton’s employee, Christian Baptiste, in the head with her purse, according to the lawsuit. Employees called 911 as the women continued to yell, push and kick employees, the lawsuit states.
But, shortly after the arrival of the police officers, who were all white, including some from the 28th precinct, a police supervisor spoke with only one of the women before ordering his officers to arrest Dr. Pemberton, Mr. Baptiste, 42, and another employee, Thomas Debnam. They were charged with unlawful imprisonment. The charges against the men were dismissed in November.
NYPD officer Anthony Sengco even went as fas as to state in his written report that he saw Pemberton and members of his staff blocking the women from leaving. A claim they refute.
The city’s law department states they will review the case and “respond accordingly.”