Retired NY Supreme Court Justice Karen Smith Roughed up by Cops for Intervening in Brutal Beating of 'Occupy' Protester's Mom | Moral Low Ground

Retired NY Supreme Court Justice Karen Smith Roughed up by Cops for Intervening in Brutal Beating of 'Occupy' Protester's Mom | Moral Low Ground:

"A retired New York state Supreme Court justice was shoved into a wall by NYPD officers after she intervened in an attempt to stop officers from brutally beating the mother of an ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protester on Tuesday morning.

Judge Karen Smith told Democracy Now! that she was working as a legal observer for the National Lawyers Guild, immediately identifiable as such by her day-glo neon green hat, when she witnessed a shocking incident of police brutality.

Judge Smith (Photo: NY State Unified Court System)

“I was there to take down the names of people who were arrested,” she explained. “As I’m standing there, an African-American woman goes up to a police officer and says, ‘I need to get in. My daughter’s there, I want to know if she is OK.’ And he said, ‘Move on, lady,’ and they kept pushing with their sticks, pushing back and she was crying… he throws her to the ground and starts hitting her in the head.”

Smith knew she had to do something to stop the horrific attack.

“I walk over and I say, ‘Look, cuff her if she’s done something, but you don’t need to do that.’ He said, ‘lady, you want to get arrested?’ I said, ‘Do you see my hat? I’m here as a legal observer.’ He said, ‘Do you want to get arrested?’ and he pushed me up against the wall.”"