Video has been released showing a man being beaten by police inside of a Crown Heights synagogue. Last Monday, Ehud H. Halevi was sleeping inside of the lounge of ALIYA (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults) when he was awakened by police. Halevi, who is homeless, explained that the had been granted permission to stay at the facility, and says that officers never gave him the opportunity to prove it. The video shows officers beating Halevi as he resisted arrest.
According to several sources, Halevi did have permission to stay there, and had been sleeping at ALIYA for a month. 24-year-old volunteer security guard Zlamy Trappler was never told, and called police when he found a shirtless Halevi sleeping in the building. Trappler now says he regrets making the call. Halevi was charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and harassment, and trespassing. He's out on bail, but could face five years in prison for assaulting an officer if convicted.
[via Gothamist]
