FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 21, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
SE Queens leaders back AG’s lawsuit against NYPD
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Southeast Queens elected officials
are voicing strong support for Attorney
General Letitia James’ lawsuit against the
NYPD for excessive force and making false
arrests during recent racial justice protests
and for years prior, which has led to signifi -
cant injuries and violated individuals’ basic
right to peacefully protest.
Th e lawsuit specifi cally charges the
NYPD, the City of New York, Mayor Bill
de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Dermot
Shea, and NYPD Chief of Department
Terence Monahan with failing to address
this long-standing pattern of abuse by not
properly training, supervising and disciplining
QNS fi le photo
FBI busts far-right Middle Village man after raid
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
A Middle Village man associated with
the far-right group the Proud Boys was
denied bail in Brooklyn federal court on
Wednesday, Jan. 13, aft er he was arrested
by FBI agents the night before.
Eduard Florea, 40, was taken into custody
on the night of Jan. 12 aft er the FBINYPD
Joint Terrorism Task Force raided
his home on 76th Street off Eliot Avenue
in Middle Village.
Florea is facing a convicted felon in possession
of ammunition charge fi led by
the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District
of New York. Th e father of two young
children was found to have more than
1,000 rounds of rifl e ammunition, over 20
rounds of shotgun ammunition, around
75 military-style combat knives, two
hatches and two swords inside his home
at the time of the FBI’s search, according
to the criminal complaint.
Florea, who had applied to be a member
of the Proud Boys but had yet to attend
the requisite number of meetings prior to
his arrest, allegedly wrote about sending
an armed caravan to the Capitol following
the Jan. 6 attack by an angry Trump mob,
according to the feds.
Florea was a frequent user of Parler, an
app utilized by the far-right and Trump
supporters that was taken off of a handful
of app stores following the raid in
Washington, D.C.
“Here in New York, we are target rich,”
he allegedly posted on the app as insurrections
stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Law enforcement agents indicated that
Florea was not present at the Jan. 6 coup
attempt.
Florea was previously arrested on Staten
Island in 2014 aft er police found a stockpile
of weapons in his home; he would
serve a year in prison. Th e Staten Island
Advance also reported that Florea was
picked up two days aft er that gun bust for
allegedly choking his wife.
offi cers to prevent misconduct,
despite knowledge and public admission
that it violated the rights of New Yorkers.
“When police offi cers deploy brutal and
aggressive tactics against New Yorkers, it
undermines the safety of our communities
and causes public distrust of law enforcement,”
Congressman Gregory Meeks said.
“Yet, even as protesters marched against
the systemic and long-standing problems
of excessive force in the department, those
protesters were met with even more aggression.
We must stamp out the use of aggressive
force by offi cers within the NYPD. I
applaud Attorney General James for investigating
this matter and support this lawsuit
to seek injunctive relief to address
these long-standing problems and failures
at the NYPD, the brunt of which has been
borne by diverse communities of color like
the ones I represent.”
In the complaint, James lays out dozens
of examples of the NYPD’s blatant
use of excessive force and other misconduct,
since May 2020, including the indiscriminate,
unjustifi ed and repeated use of
batons, pepper spray, bicycles and a crowdcontrol
tactic known as “kettling” against
peaceful protesters — all causing protesters
signifi cant physical harm.
NYPD offi cers also unlawfully arrested
legal observers, medics and other workers
performing essential services without
probable cause and in direct violation of
executive orders from Mayor de Blasio.
Th e lawsuit seeks broad injunctive relief,
including systemic reforms to the NYPD
and the implementation of a monitor to
oversee the NYPD’s policing tactics in
future protests and to ensure compliance
with the law.
“Police are there to enforce the law, not
to break it or to be above it. If it is proven
that they have systematically used excessive
force, unlawful detention, kettling and
improper tactics against peaceful protesters
then they need to be held accountable,
and the attorney general has an obligation
to look into these allegations,” state
Senator James Sanders said. “If police commit
wrongdoing and are not held accountable
then it undermines the community’s
faith in them. During these protests, there
were a lot of tough situations with a lot of
moving parts and under those conditions
strong leadership was necessary, but that
does not excuse any police impropriety
that may have taken place.”
Before Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards was elected, he served
as leader of the panel that has jurisdiction
over the NYPD.
“New Yorkers watched police offi cers
engage in unjust and inhumane behavior
against the public time and time again,”
Richards said. “Th ere needs to be a culture
shift at the New York Police Department,
an idea I championed while I was chair of
the New York City Council’s Public Safety
Committee. Offi cers should not disgrace
their badges, should let civilians peacefully
protest and engage in their communities
and realize that their actions have consequences.
No one is above the law, including
the New York Police Department. I thank
New York Attorney General Letitia James
for taking a stand and ensuring that the
NYPD will be held accountable.”
Th e protests by Black Lives Matter and
their allies took place this summer following
the police killings of George Floyd,
Breonna Taylor and a number of other
unarmed Black people. Aft er several evenings
of violent clashes between the NYPD
and protesters, Governor Andrew Cuomo
called on the Offi ce of the Attorney General
to conduct a civil investigation into police
misconduct during the incidents.
“I applaud the attorney general’s diligent
action with holding the NYPD accountable
for participating in a pattern of excessive
violence, lawlessness and recklessness
at the expense of peaceful protesters and
essential workers standing up for racial justice
last summer,” Assemblyman Khaleel
Anderson said. “Th ese fi ndings, while disturbing,
are not surprising, and serve only
to further infl ame tensions between the
police and community. I stand in full support
of an external monitor to ensure
increased oversight and true accountability
of the NYPD.”
Photo via Getty Images
Southeast Queens elected offi cials endorsed the state attorney general’s lawsuit against the NYPD.
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