Who: Attorney Lauren P. Raysor, Esq., Principal, Lauren P. Raysor, Attorney at Law
Andre Brown, Ms. Raysor’s client
Tijuana Brown and Susan Brown, Mr. Brown’s relatives
What: Lauren P. Raysor, Esq., Principal, Lauren P. Raysor, Attorney at Law, will hold a press conference to announce that she is filing a lawsuit against the New York Police Department (NYPD) on behalf of Andre Brown, who was unlawfully arrested and detained by officers without being read his rights. Ms. Raysor claims NYPD officers executed a “no-knock” warrant upon entering his residence.
On the morning of March 5, 2021, Mr. Brown, who was living in the basement of his family’s house in Jamaica, Queens with his girlfriend, Deidre Covington, heard a noise coming from upstairs and went to investigate. He saw a group of NYPD officers — their faces and badges covered with dark cloth — pointing their guns at him. They made him and his girlfriend get dressed, cuffed Mr. Brown and pulled them into a police van without explanation. Meanwhile, another group of officers told Mr. Brown’s family, who were upstairs, not to move. None of the officers produced a warrant before entering the premises.
Mr. Brown spent 25 minutes in the van. A short while later, Ms. Covington was released. Mr. Brown was taken to the precinct, where he was ticketed for possession of marijuana. He spent 90 minutes in a jail cell after being fingerprinted and photographed. Five days later, the District Attorney’s Office determined the NYPD did not have a case against Mr. Brown.
Ms. Raysor says most “no-knock” warrants are executed in communities of color and this incident could have resulted in tragic consequences, similar to what happened with Breonna Taylor.
When: Tuesday, April 20, 2021
4:30 p.m.
Where: Lauren P. Raysor, Attorney at Law
Roosevelt Professional Building
11 West Prospect Avenue
Mount Vernon, NY
** PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID-19 protocols, the press conference will be held outside in the law firm’s parking lot. **
Directions: From I-95 N: Take Exit 9 to Hutchinson Pkwy N. Stay on Hutchinson Pkwy. N. and take Exit 12 toward East Lincoln Ave./Mount Vernon/Pelham. Turn left onto First Ave., then another left onto 84/Lincoln Ave. After 0.4 mile, take another left onto Darwood Pl. Go 0.2 mile, then go right onto E. Sidney Ave. Make a left onto Gramatan Ave., then a right onto W. Prospect Ave. Law office is on the right-hand side.
Photo Ops: Ms. Raysor joined by Mr. Brown and his family.
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About Lauren P. Raysor
Lauren P. Raysor is an attorney concentrating in personal injury, civil rights, bankruptcy, matrimonial and family law. She has litigated numerous cases over the years, taking more than 35 cases to verdict and has argued before the Appellate Division in the case of Makeda Barnes Joseph v. Universal Music Group. She served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon, where she was in charge of the city’s Law Department. Ms. Raysor is currently outside counsel for the New York State Dormitory Authority, and served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Upper Manhattan Region, outside counsel to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and counsel at a Wall Street law firm.
