One Bronx mom was getting deja vu when cops cuffed a special-needs seven-year-old and hauled him out of the classroom for throwing a fit last week. That's because the same thing happened to her autistic seven-year-old son last year. Siobhan Lynch said her son got into an argument with another kid, and he lashed out when an "inexperienced special education aide" tried to restrain him. "There's no reason to handcuff a 7-year-old. I don't care who you are," she told the Daily News. "There's no 7-year-old dangerous enough—unless they're holding a gun and even then I question whether they knew how to use it." more ›

When Brownsville mom Ivory Williams was summoned to her son's school last week, she found the 9-year-old boy handcuffed, crying, and having an asthma attack. The Department of Education says the student, Jaheim Williams, was restrained after a cafeteria fight because he posed a threat to others, and that he was handcuffed for just twenty minutes. But Jaheim's mother claims that when administrators finally acknowledged that Jaheim needed medical attention, officers from the 73rd precinct brought him to the hospital—with the cuffs still on. more ›

A 22-year-old Staten Island man who escaped from police custody—on camera!—was sentenced to a decade behind bars, in part due to his escape attempt. According to the Advance, Naquan Thompson was hit with the 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to the failed Jan. 6 escape, and admitting he robbed a bodega last year and threw a pit bull puppy at a police officer (the dog bit the cop on the forehead). Thompson managed to slip out of his handcuffsduring a routine perp walk, but cops chased him and arrested him after he broke his ankle leaping from the St. George Ferry Terminal to Staten Island Railway property. more ›

A state judge ruled that New York's juvenile corrections system regularly breaks the law by shackling young detainees any time they leave a detention center—even if the children don't pose a physical threat. According to the Times, the ruling should bring an end to a policy that mandated the use of shackles whenever detainees leave state facilities, despite other laws on the books permitting shackles only as a last resort for "youth who are out of control and dangerous, and then only for half an hour." A 15-year-old plaintiff said he was kept in feet and handcuffs connected to a belly chain for roughly 15 hours on a single day. Lawyer Nancy Rosenbloom said the case revealed "a culture of abusive practices that is not rehabilitative." She added: "We had evidence of kids not being able to drink their milk on the way to court because of the chains." more ›

Last month New York's top court ruled that the state can use eminent domain to force homeowners and businesses to sell their properties to make way for developer Bruce Ratner's embattled Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. One victim of this ruling is Freddy's Bar & Backroom on Dean Street; the place is known for its monthly diorama competitions and was named one of the best bars in America by Esquire magazine in 2006. In a noble attempt to save Freddy's from the wrecking ball, on Sunday afternoon patrons drank beer while handcuffed to the bar for about an hour. Your move, Ratner. more ›

The second incident allegedly occurred in July, while Rohan was attending summer school. The teen says safety agents injured his knee and middle finger, then took him to a psychiatric hospital! The school’s safety agents are members of the NYPD but are not armed; in a statement, a police spokesman says that Rohan "became irate and pushed and struck the agent. The student was restrained and subsequently removed to Long Island Jewish Hospital for psychiatric evaluation." Rohan's lawyer has filed a notice of claim stemming from the incidents, and a Department of Education rep says, "We are looking into this. We take all these types of situations seriously." more ›

Today's allegation of police brutality comes from 20-year-old demolition worker Raphael Jefferson, who's planning to sue the city after police allegedly "slammed him down on a car hood, repeatedly struck him with a baton and Maced his eyes" while he was handcuffed on a Bronx street on June 20th. more ›