The “queen of non-violence” — was just convicted of assaulting a cop.
Cecily McMillan was found guilty Monday of intentionally elbowing an NYPD cop in the eye as he escorted her out of Zuccotti Park on the 6-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. McMillan, dressed in a white dress and tan blazer, was cuffed as dozens of her supporters screamed, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” as she was led out of the Manhattan Supreme courtroom.
Dubbed the “queen of non-violence” for her years of work as an activist, McMillan claimed Officer Grantley Bovell grabbed her right breast from behind as she was willingly exiting the park on March 18, 2012, prompting her to slug him out of shock. She claimed to have not known he was a cop.
But the Manhattan jury, made up of 8 women and 4 men, weren’t convinced and convicted the 25-year-old of felony charges after deliberating for a little more than 2½ hours.
McMillan was among some 70 people arrested that night in what erupted into turmoil as cops tried to clear the park for cleaning around 11:30 p.m.
The self-proclaimed pacifist, who blankly stared into space when the verdict was read, faces up to 7 years in jail at her sentencing May 19. Judge Ronald Zweibel remanded McMillan after refusing to set bail.
The trial, one of the last lawsuits brought by Occupy Wall Street protestors, lasted four weeks.
McMillan wasn’t an active participant two years ago on the movement’s anniversary and instead was meeting a pal at Zuccotti Park to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, her attorney Martin Stolar said in closing arguments last Friday. Intentionally assaulting a cop is “inconsistent of her politics and her character,” he insisted.
“She’s on her way out when somebody she doesn’t know grabs her by the right breast, yanks her up,” said Stolar. “The next thing she knows, she’s down on the ground.”
But prosecutors said the New School student refused to leave the park and was angrily yelling at cops. They claimed McMillan shouted to a bystander, “Are you filming this? Are you filming this?” before she whacked the cop and tried to take off.
The jury watched a damning video from that night in which Bovell is seen escorting McMillan out of the park when she suddenly crouches down and jumps up, her poised elbow cracking the cop in the eye. Bovell testified he fell on top of her and arrested her after she attempted to flee.
McMillan testified that she had no recollection after that moment and claimed she suffered a seizure after being thrown to the ground during her arrest. The jury also saw pictures of bruising to her right breast and face.
“Is she trying to convince you this breast grab caused her memory loss? The memory doesn’t work that way,” sniffed Assistant District Attorney Erin Choi in closings.
McMillan never suffered a seizure or concussion, despite seeing multiple doctors, Choi said.
“She wants to exaggerate and embellish … because she wants to manipulate the situation,” said Choi.
Stolar plans to appeal.