NYPD officers chose that time, place, and tactics precisely to mimic the behavior of federal agents in Portland who have been seizing and detaining protesters without identification.

Dear John,

On Tuesday night, a frightening video circulated on social media, showing plainclothed NYPD officers grab a young transwoman out of a protest and throw her into an unmarked van. The video rightly sparked instant outrage. 

The Mayor responded yesterday that this was the “wrong time and place” to execute a warrant for arrest (the NYPD has accused the protester of spray-painting and stickering the lenses of surveillance cameras at Occupy City Hall). But to me, it seems clear that the NYPD officers chose that time, place, and tactics precisely to mimic the behavior of federal agents in Portland who have been seizing and detaining protesters without identification. Their goal was provocation and intimidation, not public safety. There’s no “right” time or place for that kind of policing.

The debate around how we could transform our approach to public safety into something that keeps all communities safe, and that is not characterized by systemic racism, too often devolves into a shrill shouting match. In recent weeks, the racial justice uprising that followed the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has been met with fearmongering and pushback from those who blame efforts to curtail police violence for an uptick in recent shootings. 

Let’s be clear: the shootings and loss of life that we have seen during this long, hot, Covid summer are heartbreaking. The loss of one-year-old Davell Gardner Jr., whose funeral was on Tuesday, was especially devastating. It’s hard to imagine the pain his parents are feeling. And there has been so much other loss and grief. 

As State Senator Zellnor Myrie, who has been out on the streets of his district with anti-gun violence organizers in recent weeks, said: “gun violence is a public health crisis that has been allowed to ravage communities due to a lack of resources and opportunities.” Cure Violence organizations, like the one that Zellnor has been working with in Crown Heights -- and that leaders like Jumaane Williams, Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Brian Benjamin, Diana Ayala and so many others partner with around the city -- work with community leaders to mediate conflicts and provide mentorship and support to young people. These programs have a proven track record of reducing violence. And they are the kinds of programs that Black community leaders in central Brooklyn and elsewhere are calling for.

So when we talk about “defunding” the NYPD, divesting from policing and investing in alternative approaches to solving problems, this is a big part of what we mean. Right now, we center policing, with the warrior mentality we saw on display Tuesday night, and treat Cure Violence programs as something marginal. The mayor announced a $10 million increase earlier this month, bringing them to about $45 million, a whopping 0.4% of the $11 billion we spend on a 36,000 member strong police force whose tools are arrests, warnings, and lethal force, whom we call upon to answer every type of problem or conflict in our city. (As new research from the Vera Institute shows, NYC has far more officers per capita than our peer cities. For every 10,000 residents, there are 61 NYPD officers; for LA it’s 32, Houston 28, San Francisco 36. In other words, we have nearly twice as many police per person).  

What if we flip it around? Imagine if we provided $1 billion to social service, public health, community organizations, and neighborhood leaders to build relationships, mentor young people, and de-escalate conflicts at the center of our public safety strategy. 

We also saw new data this week as part of the fight for more accountability and transparency over policing. Here’s what we learned: 1 out of every 9 current NYPD officers has had a substantiated case of misconduct, everything from using racial slurs against people they are arresting to excessive and illegal uses of force. And it surely doesn’t help that policing continues to disproportionately target people of color for minor offenses. In just the latest example of this deeply entrenched pattern, new data reported this week showed that 91% of summonses for drinking in public over the last few months of outdoor socializing have gone to people of color (Thanks to Assembly Member Bobby Carroll and State Senator Brad Hoylman for their effort to decriminalizing drinking outside). 

What we need is a real, honest conversation about all these numbers, and the realities behind them, and then a comprehensive plan for change, like the one Council Members are starting to make in Minneapolis, for programs and tools that help reduce conflict, provide mental health services, enable domestic violence victims to escape to new lives, house vulnerable New Yorkers, and help people who have had contact with the criminal legal system to find work, housing, and support. I strongly believe that’s the path to a genuine combination of community safety and equal justice. 

For all the backlash and intimidation, the shared humanity we feel at the loss of a one-year-old child, in the revulsion watching the murder of George Floyd, or in so many losses to gun violence, to traffic crashes, and to Covid, must be the anchor in our relentless work both to ease suffering and to win justice. In a moving essay he left for us today, the day of his funeral, civil rights leader John Lewis exhorts us to study and learn the lessons of history and build union between our movements to find the solutions to the challenges of our time.

It’s a long road -- and it sure doesn’t start from NYPD officers cosplaying the proto-fascist tactics of Trumpist federal officers in Portland.

Brad

In this email: 
Updates and Resources
Upcoming Events

Updates and Resources

Upcoming Events

Today at 2 PM: Small Business Support Webinar
I’ll be joining the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce for a webinar to help commercial tenants and landlords learn about restructuring their lease agreements. Register here.

Protests for racial justice and responding to the outrageous arrest on Tuesday are continuing around the city. For a centralized list of events happening around the city, visit: https://www.justiceforgeorge.nyc/schedule. 

456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-1090
[email protected]

    

unsubscribe
Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.