Alex O’Keefe Legal Fund
Venmo: AlexOKeefe
Cashapp: $AlexOKeefe
Alex O’Keefe is represented by Dratel & Lewis
(212) 732-0707 dl@dratellewis.com
Handcuffed, Detained And Charged For “Sitting Disrespectfully”
Alex O’Keefe is an award-winning writer for hit television shows like The Bear, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.
On Thursday, September 18th, just four days after his wedding, Alex O’Keefe was unlawfully handcuffed and detained by four police officers on his regular train commute to work, after a white woman accused him of sitting disrespectfully. O’Keefe was also harassed by another white woman customer who told him, “You’re not the minority anymore.
O’Keefe is charged with Disorderly Conduct in The Bronx Criminal Court.
Every worker deserves a safe commute. Instead of improving MTA service, politicians waste New Yorkers’ tax dollars hiring more and more police officers to play Candy Crush on the subway, and target people of color. This endangers the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of workers, especially workers of color. Enough is enough. We cannot allow a New Jim Crow.
Winning the frivolous case against Alex O’Keefe can establish legal precedent to protect every New Yorker from racial profiling and harassment.
Charges Dismissed
Today, The Bronx Criminal Court dismissed the “Disorderly Conduct” charge against me. The judge ruled the charge was facially insufficient — lacking basic facts to show any crime was committed.
On September 18, four days after my wedding, on my 2-hour work commute to Stamford on the MTA MetroNorth, I was harassed and detained for sitting while Black.
Since September 18, more outrageous detainments of Black Americans have gone viral. Terrence Crawford, the #1 Boxer in the world, was detained at gunpoint driving home from his own victory parade. In Chicago, hundreds of federal agents invaded an apartment complex. Authorities rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters, zip-tied and detained naked Black children in the middle of the night.
My case was a disturbing warning sign of a police state at war with Black lives, licensed to act with impunity. It seems our President considers us "The enemy within."
Today, the court made a clear judgement: I did nothing illegal on September 18. Like millions of New Yorkers, I was going to work to earn a living and support my family. Even though this absurd case was dismissed today, I will continue to defend the civil rights of every New Yorker. Every worker has a right to a safe commute.
This video cannot be reproduced, or shared by any media entity without the permission of Alex O’Keefe
Alex O’Keefe’s arrest video went viral, gaining news coverage across CNN, ABC News, CBS News, The Hollywood Reporter, TMZ, and more. Millions of Americans expressed outrage at the MTA’s misconduct.
The video, shot on O’Keefe’s cellphone, clearly shows an uncrowded train, with white passengers taking up multiple seats with their bags. The MTA Police handcuffed and detained O’Keefe without taking any statements.
Disorderly Conduct: A History of Racial Profiling
Disorderly Conduct is a vague legal statute historically used to enforce racial profiling.
Rosa Parks was arrested and convicted of Disorderly Conduct for refusing to give up her seat to a white man in 1955. 70 years later, police patrol Black neighborhoods “for signs of disorder.” Many legal scholars claim that the statute is used “as a means of social control against people of color.”
Michael Cicchini, Disorderly Conduct: An Investigation into Police and Prosecutor Practices, 9 Lincoln Mem’l U. L. Rev. (2021).
Dratel & Lewis have been involved in some of the past three decades’ most complicated and important cases both factually and legally, including extraordinarily document intensive, legally challenging, and politically charged cases.
They currently represent Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian student protest leader, and Jane Doe, a Sean Combs accuser.
Lindsay A. Lewis
LINDSAY A. LEWIS successfully defended a wide range of matters, from extradition cases to high-profile cyber, terrorism, drug trafficking and fraud cases, to minor cases with potentially serious collateral consequences, such as limiting a client’s capacity to pursue advanced educational and career goals.
Lindsay A. Lewis served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Board of Directors of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Joshua L. Dratel
JOSHUA L. DRATEL is a past President of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, as well as former Chair of its Amicus Curiae Committee. He is also a Co-Chair of the Amicus Curiae Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mr. Dratel was the first civilian lawyer at Guantanamo Bay, and appeared as amicus for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in the other circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court.