One Brooklyn
June 9, 2020
Brooklyn, NY – Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams released a video on the protests that have taken place across Brooklyn and the rest of the city in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and how the New York City Police Department (NYPD) should de-escalate such situations. In the video, Borough President Adams takes video footage from the first night of protests in New York near Barclays Center and identifies which officers acted in an appropriate manner and why, and which ones did not. Borough President Adams also recognized those peaceful protesters who urged their fellow demonstrators to keep the protest rallies orderly, and discouraged looting and other criminal activity.
“In the protests that have taken place over the past week in our borough and throughout the city, we have seen textbook examples of good policing and bad policing. Those who have conducted good policing have worked to de-escalate a situation, understanding that a light touch is needed when dealing with people at a protest. On the other hand, those who have conducted bad policing have used excessive force where it isn’t warranted, taking unprovoked actions against peaceful protesters. We rightfully hold police to a high standard, as they have two rights even the president of the United States doesn’t have: the right to take liberty and the right to take life. We must ensure that any police officer that is responding to these sensitive situations has the proper communication skills and the ability to de-escalate, so we are not responding to protests over police violence with yet more police violence,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Borough President Adams, a former NYPD captain who served in the department for 22 years, has called for the NYPD to identify a group of officers who are trained in de-escalation to serve as the frontline response to any protest or other situation that requires a lighter enforcement touch. He has said that some police officers are not suited to every role within the department, and the NYPD must be conscious of who it is deploying during mobilizations. In addition, yesterday he joined Brooklyn community board chairs and precinct council leaders to demand the City empower these bodies to play a role in approving and vetoing by supermajority any New York City Police Department (NYPD) precinct commander candidates within their respective areas.
Since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests have erupted across the country, including several in New York City. Over the past two weeks, protesters have taken to the streets throughout the five boroughs demanding police reforms that address racially disparate enforcement and stronger accountability for officers who use excessive force. Numerous incidents captured on video since the start of the protests in New York have shown NYPD officers taking unprovoked actions against peaceful protesters, including shoving, hitting with batons, and ramming a car into a crowd behind a police barricade. They also used pepper spray against a sitting state senator and assembly member and placed them in handcuffs.
A YouTube link to the video is available here.
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