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QUEENS WEEKLY, MAY 12, 2019
Top cop and community leaders hold town
hall on better police-community relations
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Hundreds of southeast
Queens residents filled the
Queens Library Central
Plaza on Monday, May
6, for an open, truthful
dialogue with NYPD
Commissioner James P.
O’Neill on the legalization
of marijuana and building
trust and strengthening
the relationship between
the NYPD and community.
The Southeast Queens
NYPD Public Safety
Town Hall with O’Neill
was organized by City
Councilman Donovan
Richards, chair of the
New York City Council
Public Safety Committee.
Richards was joined
by NYPD officials,
Councilwoman Adrienne
Adams, Councilman
I. Daneek Miller,
Congressman Gregory
Meeks and Borough
President Melinda Katz.
“Tonight’s meeting is
an example of how we can
break down barriers of
communicating between
police and communities to
make our neighborhoods
the best they can be,” said
Richards. “We may not
always agree on how we
get there, but we can never
stop talking because the
best path forward is often
found in the middle ground
of a disagreement.”
According to Richards,
over the last year and a half,
community lawmakers
have worked together
with the NYPD to reduce
marijuana arrests and
summonses, improvement
of the Special Victims
Division, an increase in
transparency in the NYPD’s
internal discipline system,
and the construction of a
new 116th Precinct planned
for Rosedale.
A topic of discussion
in the forefront, audience
members asked O’Neill
about the legalization of
recreational marijuana.
“I know that marijuana
is becoming legal and all
of that, but do we have
to smell that every place
we go?” said Cynthia
Hall, who has been living
in the community for
42 years.
Another resident who
is opposed to legalization
of marijuana asked, “Why
should we legalize it?”
According to O’Neill,
his biggest concern about
the possibility of marijuana
becoming legal in New
York state is driving under
the influence, noting there
is no instantaneous test
for marijuana like there is
for alcohol.
“I have a number of
concerns now. In all the
states where it’s legalized,
it’s not legal under 21 and
we’ll have that challenge,”
he said. “The black market
where people are selling
it illegally, what do we
do then? Moving forward
hopefully we’ll be able to
address that.”
The NYPD has
changed their internal
rules and regulations
as far as enforcement
with possession and
summonses, burning in
public (depending on a
person’s criminal history),
which O’Neill said, is now
a summons too.
“Do I want to lock up
some 16- or 17-year-old
kid for smoking weed that
doesn’t have a criminal
history? I don’t want to do
that. I don’t want to burden
them with a criminal
history like that. But
sometimes we do have to
arrest people depending
on who they are and what
they’re involved in,”
said O’Neill.
According to Richards,
who supports the
decriminalization of
marijuana, the Southeast
Queens community has
led the city with 10 years
of marijuana summonses
and arrests.
“Council member Miller
and myself and colleagues
have done a lot of work to
reform marijuana here in
the way it’s policed here
in our community,” said
Richards. “It’s important
to recognize that people
across all races smoke
marijuana at the same
rate, but 86 percent of the
rest and summonses were
in communities of color.
We have to work to reform
that. We know it’s a delicate
balance when you’re
talking about quality
of life.”
Other residents brought
forth the past history of
police interactions in the
community and how to
approach an officer for
support without fear of
being mistreated.
“Based on the Critical
Intervention Training, if
they still have their biases
and maybe slight racism, I
don’t know because some
people do, what do you do
with those types of officers
who don’t know how to be
respectful?” said Allison
Belmosa, of St. Albans, who
experienced an unpleasant
encounter with a police
officer in 2010.
Commanding Officer
of the 113th Precinct,
Inspector Jerry O’Sullivan,
said they have made
changes and will continue
to do so.
“We don’t tolerate
people being spoken to
disrespectfully at our
precinct. I’ve addressed
that on many issues and
we’ve come a long way.
With the NCO officers,
there would not be NCO
officers if I feel that they’re
well rounded. We have to
lead by example. I’m not
going to allow anyone to
be disrespected. We won’t
tolerate it, and I won’t
tolerate it.”
Another resident asked,
“What is the NYPD doing
to recruit more ethnic
groups and backgrounds to
have more representation
in communities that they
police? As a young black
man, I feel like when you
do see a police officer,
no matter how nice or
respectful you are, it
feels more comforting
seeing someone who looks
like you.”
O’Neill noted the
diversity of the NYPD
and recruits that join
the department to serve
in communities.
“They go up through the
ranks and it’s getting better
and better,” said O’Neill.
“You have to have a police
department that reflects the
diversity of the city or else
you’re not going to get to
build trust.”
In regards to the stopand
frisk protocol by the
NYPD, Miller said, “They
weren’t doing well, but
they’re now definitely on
course and doing better
building a relationship not
only with the leadership
of the NYPD, but with
the police officers in
the community.”
Adams encouraged the
community to continue
to have a dialogue with
the police officers and
to participate in the
NCO meetings.
“What I hear a lot in
our community is we’ve
got issues and we’ve
got a history with law
enforcement that is not a
pretty history and with
history comes baggage, and
with baggage comes a time
of healing,” said Adams.
“I’m going to encourage my
beautiful black and brown
community and everything
in between to begin the
healing process on your
own. Start to engage with
our partners in the NYPD.
We are not their enemy
and they’re are not our
enemy. They are here to
lawfully to protect and
serve you.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by email at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at
(718) 260–4526.
Police Commissioner James O’Neill (at left) addressed residents at the May 6 town hall meeting at Queens Public Library’s Central branch
in Jamaica. Photo: Carlotta Mohamed/QNS
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