After being urged by many friends and colleagues to do so, I am setting up this page to raise some money to offset legal and potential incoming medical costs.

While attending an electronic music event in NJ in support of my friends who were part of the event production as well as artists booked to perform, I was beaten by Newark Police after mistakenly grabbing a plain-clothed police officer who I fully believed was a regular citizen assailing my friends.

Police came into the event on what many have stated were questionable grounds and, according to others as well as speaking to my own personal experience in the situation, did not identify themselves properly - leading to confusion and alarm among attendees.

When a plain clothed officer grabbed one of the headlining DJs without first stating that he was law enforcement, panic ensued. Seeing my friend in distress and other friends coming to aid at the same time, I grabbed the assailant from behind in an attempt to physically restrain him; in that moment we both fell backwards onto the ground.

Almost immediately multiple uniformed officers arrived on scene, kicking and punching me repeatedly while I struggled on the ground with absolutely no idea who was attacking me. I thought it may have been some kind of gang fight I was in the middle of. It was like being in a mosh-pit but in the worst sense possible. I kept trying to get up so it made it worse, which I would have never done had I understood what was happening. I finally realized these were officers after they handcuffed me and lifted me off the ground.

I'm a longtime member of the NYC electronic music community, I've owned a Vinyl / Audio gear shop, hosted dance music events, performed as a DJ and released original music. I'm 47 and have two kids ages 9 and 14. I am strictly in it for the music and culture and have been a part of music / arts scene in the greater NYC area for just about 30 years.

I absolutely never intended to interfere with an officer, merely to break up what I saw as an escalating situation with unknown assailants. In a venue where the music is playing and there are light installations, it would be very difficult to distinguish a plain clothed officer pushing a DJ (and no ordinary DJ at that, but one with nearly 40 years of international touring experience) up against the wall, from any ordinary patron simply committing assault and interfering with the performance. If the officer first identified themselves or if the music was first shut off and an announcement was made as to the presence of law enforcement, this incident could have been completely avoided.

Due to the way the incident was handled, police put their fellow officers as well as hundreds of attendees at risk. I was hit with multiple charges and spent eight hours in Newark University hospital. As I have no prior criminal record, I do hope for a positive outcome to the situation as well as to gain greater understanding with law enforcement so incidents like this can be avoided in the future. Almost everyone in the music community has respect for law enforcement and we realize they are there to help maintain peace and order in our neighborhoods and communities. 

My friends in the music community have been very supportive and I am very grateful for that. With that said I will have legal bills incoming as well as possible bills for my hospital stay. At this point I know the hospital bill will be in the thousands but I have not received it yet and I am also not sure if my insurance will cover this cost in part or in full. The legal fees are most certainly going to be my full responsibility.

If you can, please donate. Please also remember your support means more than money. So if you are not able to donate and just support me as a friend or from afar, that honestly means just as much, if not more. All the funds raised will be put to costs associated with this incident. Thank you everyone.