Public defenders, labor organizers, and elected officials protested outside Brooklyn Criminal Court after a woman gave birth during her court appearance. The rally blocked parts of Jay Street as protesters marched from a legal advocacy location to the Kings County district attorney’s office. The woman, Samantha Randazzo, was arrested and held for more than a day before giving birth shortly before midnight Friday in a Brooklyn courtroom. Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services said she delivered on a courtroom bench without adequate medical care, privacy, or dignity, surrounded by court personnel and law enforcement. Police disputed parts of that account, saying she declined medical attention at arrest, was taken to Coney Island Hospital, and was transported to court before giving birth. Her attorney said officers rushed to help and denied shackling during delivery.
"The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services said attorneys and staff witnessed Randazzo deliver her child "on a courtroom bench without adequate medical care, privacy, or dignity, surrounded by court personnel, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and others.""
"Police disputed parts of that account. The NYPD said Randazzo declined medical attention at the time of her arrest Thursday and later informed officers she was pregnant and experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Police said she was taken to Coney Island Hospital early Friday morning, discharged Friday night and transported to court before giving birth hours later."
"Her attorney, Wynton Sharpe, told reporters court officers rushed to help as a judge cleared the courtroom. He denied that Randazzo was shackled during delivery. At the rally Monday, speakers tied the birth to broader complaints about conditions inside Brooklyn Criminal Court."
""We have seen the deadly consequences of low-level offenses," Brad Lander, who is running for New York's 10th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House, said."But there is something especially hideous when it comes to affecting that moment of giving birth.""
#brooklyn-criminal-court #public-defense #criminal-justice-reform #medical-care-in-custody #protests
Read at Brooklyn, NY Patch
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