Protesters return to scene of controversial East Meadow arrests at Black Lives Matter rally

Video shows Nassau police arresting brothers Terrel and Tiandre Tuosto, who say police grabbed and threw them to the ground.

News 12 Staff

Jun 16, 2020, 9:15 PM

Updated 1,636 days ago

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Demonstrators returned to the scene of a protest in East Meadow that led to three arrests and an investigation into police conduct.
A clip of one of the weekend arrests at the Black Lives Matter rally racked up 18,000 retweets. Video shows Nassau police arresting brothers Terrel and Tiandre Tuosto, who say police grabbed and threw them to the ground. Terrel says one of the officers put a knee to his back and neck.
"We're here started protesting for George Floyd, who also had a knee to his neck. So we're over here thinking as I'm on the ground, how long will I be on the ground. How long will this pressure last?" says Terrel Tuosto.
At least 100 protesters returned to the East Meadow Mall Tuesday night, five days after the initial demonstration.
Due to the arrests late time, the group wasn't able to reach their destination, which was Nassau County Jail. But on Tuesday night, they made it.
The video sparked a review by state Attorney General Letitia James. On Wednesday, she will hold a virtual public hearing on all interaction between police and the public statewide.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says there is also an internal investigation into the arrests. Terrel says the investigation only came about because she was pressured to.
"I'm walking and officers are nudging me, bumping me, stuff like that or trying to make it feel like I'm gonna be the aggressor, but they started being aggressive with me," says Terrel Tuosto, of West Hempstead.
Police say the arrests were justified because the men veered off-route and into oncoming traffic.
"How they judge us, how they take advantage of us, we need that all to change -- how we're perceived and how we're treated," says Terrel Tuosto.