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Cuomo Shrugs Off Families Of Those Killed By Police
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 12, 2015
Modified Apr 12, 2015
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 12, 2015
Modified Apr 12, 2015
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On Friday afternoon, Governor Cuomo was supposed to meet with a group of families whose relatives were killed by law enforcement, including Sean Bell's father, William. According to NY1, Cuomo cancelled. It was the second time the governor called off a meeting with the group. "Well, he's been postponing them. For what reason, I do not know," William Bell told the news outlet.
Cuomo's office released this statement on the cancellation:
The Governor proposed a balanced reform package to increase transparency, accountability and ensure justice in perception and in reality. The members of this group have endured unspeakable losses and we continue discussions with them.
The 17 families want "an executive order for a special prosecutor for all police killings," according to Jennifer Gonzalez; Gonzalez's partner and father of her child, Kenny Lazo, was killed by the Suffolk County Police in 2008.
"He was beaten to death with flashlights while he was handcuffed face down on the floor by five Suffolk County officers," Gonzalez told NY1.
"Unfortunately, he keeps pushing us off," Gonzalez said of Cuomo. "He's met with artists, famous people regarding this matter."
She was presumably referring to Cuomo's meeting with members of the Justice League NYC. That group spoke with the governor in January and also want a special prosecutor to handle cases where the police kill citizens, because as Bell's father puts it, "The cops are working with the DA. The DA can't, he ain't going to prosecute the police officers. He gets his information from them."
A recent Washington Post analysis showed that of the thousands of citizens killed by police over the last decade, 54 officers were charged, and the majority of them were cleared of wrongdoing.
More than a quarter of the $200 million Cuomo has budgeted for criminal justice reform will go towards better equipment for law enforcement.
On Friday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito was in the Bronx when she was confronted by an advocate for the abolition of Broken Windows policing, who asked her to define "community policing." The encounter ends with the Speaker saying "I'm not agreeing to be videotaped, you have to agree to be videotaped."
The Speaker's support for hiring 1,000 new NYPD officers was protested at a City Council hearing last month.
Tagged
governor cuomo
police reform
eric garner
broken windows
sean bell
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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