New York State Attorney General, Letitia James.
REUTERS / Lucas Jackson, File
Caribbean Life, July 10-16, 2020 3
By Nelson A. King
The daughter of Caribbean immigrants,
who had sued the city of New
York and the New York Police Department
(NYPD) for US$5.5 million in a
case of mistaken identity eight years ago,
has welcomed intensified Black Lives
Matter protests in the wake of police
killings of Blacks and other minorities,
many of whom were unarmed.
“With everything going on now, I
hope there’ll be some changes that
are really meaningful,” said Brittany
Rowley, 23 — whose parents, Delmus
Rowley, a native of Trinidad and Tobago,
and Wendy Rowley, Vincentian-born —
a senior at Touro College, majoring in
marketing, told Caribbean Life in an
exclusive interview Sunday evening.
“And I hope that things will get better,”
added the younger Rowley, who
lives with her parents in the Canarsie
section of Brooklyn. “With everything
happening to everybody, it can happen
to you, due to the fact that you were
born Black.”
The Rowleys said they had decided to
take legal action in May 2012 because
two white plainclothes cops “severely
and unnecessarily roughed up” Brittany,
who was then 15, claiming she had
matched the description of a shoplifting
suspect in the Park Slope section of
Brooklyn.
“I feel my daughter was racially profiled,”
an outraged Delmus Rowley said.
“They had no proof, just a description of
a Black young lady with braids.
“It wasn’t necessary to tackle a
15-year-old girl,” he added. “It was
excessive.”
In court papers, the Rowleys alleged
that Sgt. Jonathan Catanzaro and Officer
Stephen Nakao, of the 78th Precinct
in Brooklyn, used “excessive force” and
“falsely arrested” Brittany, then a freshman
at St. Saviour High School in the
Park Slope section of Brooklyn.
Brittany said she was heading to the
library with an unidentified friend, when
she noticed a vehicle trailing them.
Court documents also indicated that
Sgt. Jonathan Catanzaro slammed Brittany
to the pavement and flung his keys
at her.
By Nelson A. King
New York Attorney General Letitia
James on Wednesday released a preliminary
report into her office’s ongoing
investigation into the New York City
Police Department’s (NYPD) response to
recent protests.
The preliminary report includes an
in-depth account of the interactions
that occurred between NYPD and protesters
between late May and June.
It also includes recommendations for
systemic police reforms in light of the
clear breakdown of trust between the
police and the public, including removing
unilateral power from the NYPD
commissioner in favor of a commission.
At the conclusion of the investigation,
James said she will issue a more
detailed, final report with recommendations
specifically related to NYPD’s conduct
in policing the protests.
“While our investigation remains
ongoing, after 30 days of intense scrutiny,
it is impossible to deny that many
New Yorkers have lost faith in law
enforcement,” James said. “We must
bridge the undeniable divide between
the police and the public, and this preliminary
report, and the recommendations
included, is an important step
forward.
“We must begin the hard work of
reevaluating the role of police in society
and ensuring that there are mechanisms
for public oversight, accountability, and
input,” she added. “Progress is possible,
but, first, change and accountability are
needed.”
In the preliminary report, James
noted that following the killing of
George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis,
thousands of protesters took to
the streets across New York City to protest
Floyd’s death, the killing of Breonna
Taylor, and to also protest the larger
pattern of unarmed, Black people being
killed by the police, as well as decades of
discriminatory policing.
After several evenings of violent clashes
between NYPD and protesters, the
report states that Gov. Andrew Cuomo
called on the Office of the Attorney
General (OAG) to conduct a civil investigation
into police misconduct during
these incidents.
Since May 30, the report says the
OAG has received more than 1,300 complaints
and pieces of evidence through a
dedicated online portal and phone and
email hotlines.
James also held a three-day public
hearing with testimony from more
than 100 protesters, community-based
organizations, elected officials, and
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea.
In addition to the public testimony,
OAG received more than 300 submissions
of written testimony.
“While OAG’s investigation into
NYPD’s response to the protests remains
ongoing, it is clear that real, meaningful
reform cannot wait,” James said. “This
report contains an overview of proposed
systemic changes that New York City,
New York state, and NYPD should consider
implementing to address the concerns
of the public and to start building
community trust.”
The report recommends the creation
of public participation and oversight of
department policies and leadership.
“It is imperative that the public has
input and oversight into police policies
and leadership,” the reports says. “The
NYPD must be overseen by a commission
that has the authority to hire
and fire NYPD leadership, including the
commissioner; has unfettered access to
records; and approves NYPD’s budget.
“The NYPD must also be required to
seek public input on any rule it changes
or implements that impacts the public,”
the report adds. “This model takes unilateral
power away from the Police Commissioner
and ensures that the police
are accountable to the public.
The report also recommends redesigning
public safety and the role of
police in society; ensuring real, independent
oversight, accountability, and
transparency of individual officer misconduct;
ensuring real, independent
oversight, accountability, and transparency
of systemic misconduct; and establishing
a codified use of force standard
with real legal consequences for violations.
Since the OAG commenced this investigation,
the office said it has received
more than 1,300 complaints and heard
many accounts of concerning interactions
with NYPD.
The OAG said it will continue to
investigate alleged protest-related practices
and will recommend appropriate
reforms or remedial measures to address
any that violate the law and are contrary
to policing best practices.
James said the probe will include the
use of force during the protests; use of
“kettling” tactic; treatment of press,
legal observers, and elected officials;
treatment of essential workers; arrestrelated
practices; and other alleged practices
that impair community trust.
“With this report, Attorney General
James and her team have begun
the important work of chronicling the
events surrounding the recent protests
and ensuring that all voices — protesters,
police, and elected officials — are
heard,” said former United States Attorney
General Loretta Lynch. “As this
investigation continues, so must the
vital conversations around transparency
and accountability. These are the most
important conversations of our time.”
“This report reflects very hard work
by Attorney General Letitia James and
the staff of the Office of the Attorney
General — I have been honored to
serve as a Special Advisor, and to render
advice where appropriate,” said Barry
Friedman, the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Professor
of Law at NYU School of Law, and
the Founder and Faculty Director of the
Policing Project at NYU Law.
Vincentian honor student Brittany
Rowley. Brittany Rowley
AG James report calls for
systemic police reform
Caribbean student
welcomes Black
Lives Matter protests