After just two days in court street performer Kalan Sherrard's case against Inspector Howard Redmond, a member of Mayor Bill de Blasio's security detail has been dismissed.
Sheppard brought a civil case against Redmond and NYC to Manhattan Federal Court after he and a group of friends were arrested during a commemorative Occupy Wall Street protest. Sherrard claims that he was illegally arrested and detained for over 20 hours because he was seen riding his bicycle down the street while wearing nothing but a furry hat and pink underwear.
During court testimony, Inspector Redmond told the jury that Sherrard and his friends were arrested for deliberately blocking traffic by riding their bikes down the street in a serpentine manner. Redmond also testified under oath that he never noticed the way Sherrard was dressed until he had pulled the group over.
After hearing the jury's decision to dismiss the case, Sherrard's lawyer Michael O'Neil told the jury that, "His client has the right to ride his bicycle down the street without getting arrested. He's got the same civil liberties as anyone else."
The article published in the New York Post also quoted the plaintiffs lawyer saying while he and his client disagreed with the ruling they will respect it and explore other options.
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