Harlem Business Owner Says Police Arrested Him For Being Black

HARLEM, NY — A Harlem business owner who claims he was arrested for "being a conscientious business owner while black," has filed a lawsuit against the NYPD.

Clyde Pemberton claims in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court that he and two other employees were arrested in June of 2017 despite breaking no laws just because they attempted to aid a customer in need of medical assistance. Pemberton is the chief executive at the company that owns the MIST Harlem cafe and bar on West 116th Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue.

The business owner said that the arrest stemmed from his attempt to help three customers who were all white women. Pemberton approached two women and they dragged their unconscious friend through his business and suffered a racist attack for his efforts, according to the lawsuit. One of the women called Pemberton a “n---er," and the other woman attempted to hit him with her purse.

After the attack, Pemberton directed employees Christian Baptiste and Thomas Debnam to call for medical help. When paramedics and cops arrived, Pemberton attempted to explain that he is a medical doctor and showed a police officer his his physician’s license.

Pemberton, Baptiste and Debnam were arrested, brought to the local NYPD precinct for processing, held in a cell for about five to six hours and charged with unlawful imprisonment, according to the lawsuit. The Manhattan District Attorney's office dropped the charges in November, but the three men spent about $15,000 on their legal defense, according to the lawsuit.

"This is exactly the kind of interaction that destroys trust in law enforcement in minority communities," the federal lawsuit reads. "The NYPD arrested Dr. Pemberton, Mr. Baptiste, and Mr. Debnam not because of their conduct, but because they were there and they are black. Neither their side of the story nor their freedom mattered to the police."

All three men were "deeply shaken" by their arrests and are asking for financial compensation for damages suffered. The NYPD, the city of New York and five individual police officers are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

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