Brooklyn Democratic chair re-introduces
legislation over racial profiling amid COVID-19
Caribbean Life, May 29-June 4, 2020 29
By Nelson A. King
As the Caribbean community
expresses outrage over what is
described as the disproportionate
and discriminatory arrest of
Blacks and other people of color
over social distancing amid the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,
a leading Caribbean American
Democratic legislator in Brooklyn
has reintroduced a bill in New
York State Assembly that she says
would help to prevent racial profiling
by increasing data collection
and reporting standards.
Assemblywoman Rodneyse
Bichotte, the chair of the Brooklyn
Democratic Party and daughter
of Haitian immigrants, told
Caribbean Life over the weekend
that current legislation does not
provide adequate rules for tracking
and reporting of racial profiling.
Bichotte, who represents the
42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn,
also said that guidelines that
would give the public transparency
are lacking.
She pointed to a leaked New
York Police Department (NYPD)
report that states that 90 percent
of the people arrested for
coronavirus-related crimes
between Mar. 16 and May 5 were
Black or Hispanic.
Similarly, the report says that
81 percent of people who received
summonses for violating social
distancing rules, in about the
same time period, were Black or
Hispanic.
“I know who the heroes of this
crisis are, because they are my
neighbors,” said Bichotte, whose
Brooklyn district comprises parts
of Flatbush, Midwood and Ditmas
Park. “My district is home to
many essential workers. They are
the people caring for our loved
ones who are sick, making sure
our grocery stores are stocked and
that public transit is operational.
“Unfortunately, they are also
the people succumbing to the
virus at rates much higher than
the general population, losing
wages and facing food insecurities,”
she added. “The last thing
they, or anyone else, deserves
is to be discriminated against
by law enforcement. Our heroes
should be praised, not punished.”
Bichotte said the bill, A04615A,
which she has re-introduced on
the Assembly side, and S1137A,
re-introduced on the Senate side
by Democratic Sen. Brian A. Benjamin
in the New York State Legislature,
would “create a tangible
way for our state to prevent and
track these violations, and an
avenue for remedies for anyone
whose civil rights are determined
to have been violated.”
“The pandemic has led to discriminatory
practices by police
and ratcheted community tensions,”
she said. “New Yorkers are
begging for relief from racial discrimination
by law enforcement.
“The same community is
simultaneously facing another
problem in the face of the coronavirus
pandemic,” added Bichotte,
alluding to New York City Health
Department data that show that
neighborhoods with high populations
of Black and Latino residents
suffer the highest death
rate, declaring that Brooklyn has
the highest death rate by ZIP
code.
Brooklyn Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte. Corazon
Aguirre