NYPD cop outted for pepper-spraying protesters

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Published time: September 27, 2011 18:54
Edited time: September 27, 2011 22:54

Activists angry at the NYPD's attack on Occupy Wall Street protesters has led to the online collective Anonymous posting the personal details of one of the cops caught lashing out at demonstrators.

And it turns out it wasn’t the first time he’s made the news.

Hacktivists with Anonymous have identified the NYPD officer that pepper sprayed female protester as Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna, a long time veteran of the force. In a video of the ongoing demonstrations from last week that has since gone viral, a white-shirted officer believed to be Bologna uses mace on a group of roped off non-violent protesters without provocation only to then walk away. As the clip has accumulated thousands of views in the days since, activists around the globe have sought out the identity of the assailant. A blogger has since blown up a still photo from the incident and has reason to believe that the officer in question is Bologna.

It’s now been unearthed that this hasn’t been the only incident between Bologna and protesters, however. During the 2004 Republican National Convention, Bologna allegedly infringed on the civil rights of protesters demonstrating against George W Bush. A suit against the officer and another was filed back in 2007 and is finally expected to be heard in 2012.

The trouble for Bologna doesn’t stop there, either. Since his identity has been made public, the members of the online activist collective Anonymous have posted several personal details pertaining to the officer with a warning that other members of law enforcement should be careful of who they mess with.

“As we watched your officers kettle innocent women, we observed you barberically [sic] pepper spray wildly into the group of kettled women,” reads a note posted on September 26 by an online user aligned to Anonymous. “We were shocked and disgusted by your behavior.You know who the innocent women were, now they will have the chance to know who you are.Before you commit atrocities against innocent people, think twice. WE ARE WATCHING!!! Expect Us!”

From there, phone numbers and addresses for Anthony Bologna are listed, as well as his alma matter and the names of alleged family members.

One protester speaking under condition of anonymity tells the Guardian newspaper, "My dad is a police officer and he got a lot of death threats. I don't know if his family details should be out there. But if the information is correct and he has a rights case against him, I'm extremely concerned that he was put into what was a very tense situation."

Dozens of people have been arrested and injured in the Occupy Wall Street protests which are now in their second week. Other demonstrations are springing up across the country, with protests being planned in Washington DC and Los Angeles, California, among others.