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 Chicago
Cops Accused Of Brutally Beating Man Because He's Gay
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: June 15, 2007 - 11:00 am ET
(Chicago, Illinois) A gay Chicago man has
filed a federal lawsuit alleging two police officers beat and denied him his
civil rights solely because of his sexuality.
Alexander Ruppert, 35, says he was beaten nearly
unconscious while the cops hurled anti-gay remarks at him and then was placed in
a holding cell for two days without food or water.
The lawsuit claims he was removed by the two
officers from the Uptown Lounge following an altercation on March 5 and placed
in a squad car.
He was not initially charged
with any offence and was not handcuffed, court papers
say.
The suit says that Ruppert then
was driven to deserted area behind a theater where he was
beaten while the officers called him a "faggot" and other derogatory remarks.
At a news conference Ruppert's
attorney, Jon Erickson, said the cops stopped the beating when Ruppert told
them he had AIDS.
Ruppert was then taken to an
area hospital where he received 16 stitches for injuries to his face
and head.
The lawsuit says that following
that he was taken to the Foster Avenue police station, held
for 48 hours without food or water. The court papers say that
Ruppert was forced to drink from a toilet.
He was charged with resisting arrest and aggravated
battery against a police officer, and held for a week in the
Cook County Jail, until he could make a $50,000 bond.
Erickson said the felony charges were dropped last month after Ruppert
agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.
A spokesperson for the Cook
County prosecutor told the Chicago Tribune that the felony
charges had been dropped because the officers did not want to
testify in court.
"It is not only a crime against an individual. It is a crime
against a community," Erickson told reporters at Thursday's news
conference. "This was a hate
crime disguised as police work."
The lawsuit names officers Vincent Torres
and Kent Pemberton and the City of Chicago.
Spokespersons for the Chicago
Police Department and the City said they have not seen the
lawsuit and did not want to comment.
Torres and Pemberton remain on
duty.
©365Gay.com 2007
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