City Officials and Protesters Rally as Charges Dropped Against Jazmine Headley

Charges against Jazmine Headley, a mother who was surrounded by police officers and had her baby son forcibly removed from her in a Brooklyn social services office on December 7, were dropped on December 11.

According to a report from NBC New York, 23-year-old Headley had been facing charges of criminal trespass and resisting arrest, and is currently in custody on Rikers Island.

In a statement, Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez dismissed the charges and argued that the incident “should have been handled differently,” adding: “Continuing to pursue this case will not serve any purpose and I therefore moved today to dismiss it immediately in the interest of justice.”

Despite the dismissal, at the time of writing Headley was still in Rikers due to a warrant for credit card theft in New Jersey. According to tweets made by Scott Hechinger of Brooklyn Defender Services, the group plans to file an application with a judge to have these charges dropped as well.

This footage shows crowds around New York City Hall listening to city council member Donovan Richards speak out in support of Headley at a rally which drew attention via the hashtag #JusticeforJazmine. Credit: Justice League NYC via Storyful