A Manhattan judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by an Asian detective of the New York Police Department (NYPD) against a man who taunted him with anti-Asian remarks on March 11, 2021.
Terrell Harperâs racist tirade, which was partly caught on video, lasted for over 15 minutes and left Det. Vincent Chung âdisgustedâ since the incident occurred during a protest denouncing racism.
Harper, who was a protester at the event, allegedly spat on Chungâs face, chanted âsoy sauce,â called him a âgoddamn cat eater,â asked, âYou going to judo chop me?â and threatened his mother.
In a virtual hearing on Monday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Shlomo Hagler reportedly acknowledged that the video âspeaks volume.â
Hagler ultimately tossed the suit, saying Harper was protected by his First Amendment rights and encouraged Chung and his lawyers to take the issue to the legislature.
âI do believe the legislation should go back and review whether they should protect racist and hateful speech as part of the civil rights law,â he added.
During the proceedings, Harperâs lawyer, Remy Green, had also acknowledged that their client had used âsome extraordinarily offensive languageâ but argued that âhate speech is free speech.â
In late January of this year, Harper made headlines again for making threatening remarks directed at the police following the death of 22-year-old officer Jason Rivera.
âThatâd have been a wet dream to f*ck that funeral up, bro,â Harper said in his Instagram Stories. âI canât wait. Iâm looking for the next cop funeral. Iâm gonna f*ck it up, bro. Iâm gonna f*ck that sh*t up. Thatâll make news ASAP.â
#BLM activist Terrell Harper posted a video threatening to âfâ upâ police funerals in New York.
Last year, Harper was filmed making anti-Asian racist statements to Det. Vincent Cheung at a protest for black trans lives near Stonewall. pic.twitter.com/TG5blOLM7i
â Andy NgĂŽ 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) February 1, 2022
Megan Watson, a Korean American activist, told The New York Times last April that she had attended several demonstrations with Harper. She said they even worked together to organize a march for Asian Americans against police brutality.
Watson reportedly compared Harperâs language to comedy roasts. She said she had never heard him use anti-Asian language before, but she has spoken to him about the video involving Chung.
âHe understands how it comes across. He understands that thereâs work to do,â Watson told The New York Times.
Chungâs team is now considering filing an appeal after his suitâs dismissal.
âWe are going to need to take some time to digest the courtâs decision, but in all likelihood we will be appealing,â his lawyer, James Moschella, told the New York Post. âWe are disappointed, and we respectfully disagree with the courtâs decision.â