• 26
  • January
    2012

Five months ago, a group of people went to an amusement park south of Newburgh to relax and have some fun.

Instead, the group from the Muslim American Society of New York found itself embroiled in a melee and controversy. Two of the 15 defendants were charged with felony assault, but those charges were downgraded in a deal with prosecutors that will, in two months, have all charges dropped.

In court, the group of Muslim-Americans accepted adjournments in contemplation of dismissal. The deal allows them to maintain their innocence and have the disorderly conduct charges against them dismissed if they're not arrested on any charges before March 20.

The group was celebrating Ramadan at the Rye, New York, park  when a dispute arose over the facility's policy prohibiting headgear on customers going on certain rides; even traditional head scarves worn by many Muslim women.

One defendant said the dispute began as a "miscommunication" but escalated into a confrontation between the group and police and park rangers.

The defendant said police "just attacked and didn't give anyone a chance to respond."

The defendant's father said, "All the members of the community are very upset about what has happened. What was really upsetting...was being treated in such an inhumane manner."

A law enforcement official defended the actions of police officers as professional and restrained, but the attorney for the defendants said the deal her clients received showed that the court understood the group members were innocent of the charges.

She said that typically adjournments in contemplation of dismissal require defendants to stay out of trouble for six months. The fact that the window for her clients is a mere two months "speaks volumes," she said.

Source: lohud.com: "Playland melee charges set for dismissal in deal," Andrew Klappholz, Jan. 25, 2012