CM Williams Reacts To ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict In Fatal Road Rage Case
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) denounced the ‘not guilty’ verdict the jury returned on Monday for Walter Isaacs, the officer who shot and killed Delrawn Small.
Officer Walter Isaacs, an off-duty police officer was acquitted earlier this week in the road rage shooting death of a Brooklyn motorist. On July 4, 2016 Isaacs killed Delrawn Small, 37, shooting him three times after he approached Isaacs’ driver’s side window in East New York. According to reports, jurors deliberated for three days on murder and manslaughter charges after finally clearing Isaacs, 38 of criminal responsibility in the case.
“I did not know that I still had the capacity to be shocked when an officer faces no meaningful consequences for killing a young man of more color. I do, and I was shocked to hear the verdict yesterday. My heart aches for the family of Delrawn Small, who did not see the justice today that their son, their sibling, their relative deserved. Officer Walter Isaacs was proven to have lied about his encounter with Delrawn, the attack captured on video. I no longer know what it would take to see justice served in a case like this,” said Williams.
“Verdicts like this are incredibly demoralizing and defeating to those of us who fight for meaningful change in policing and an end to this kind of violence, these kind of senseless deaths. They stunt the forward progress that so many are seeking. It is clear that to some, when it comes to accountability, black lives deserve none. On duty or off duty, on video or not: it is apparent that far too often, fatal force is seen as a first resort rather than a last. For the sake of Delrawn and too many others, we must move forward with purpose, resolve, and strength,” added Williams.
Hamilton, IDC Propose Vehicle Ramming Prevention Act
Senator Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn) alongside other members of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) will propose a vehicle prevention act today.
The legislation hopes to prevent vehicle style attacks like the one in Lower Manhattan that claimed 8 lives and injured dozens of others on Halloween day. Last Tuesday, eight people were mowed down on Manhattan’s West Side by 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov. Saipov deliberately hit people on a busy bike path with a rental truck in front of Stuyvesant High School striking a Belgian Mother of two, five Argentinians, a New Jersey Native and one resident of the West Village.
Police shot the Uzbekistan native and took him into custody, according to initial reports. The attack is being considered an act of terrorism with Saipov pledging allegiance to the Islamic State during the incident.
At the event the legislators will reveal a new report detailing the increase in the use of vehicles to carry out attacks.
The event is slated for 12-noon, today, Nov. 8, at 250 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.
BK Lawmakers Applaud New Fire Safety Initiative
City Council member David Greenfield (D-Borough Park, Bensonhurst, Midwood), Assembly member Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington), and Congressman Jerrod Nadler (D-Brooklyn/Manhattan) applauded the new partnership between the Borough Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) and the American Red Cross that will launch a new fire safety and emergency preparedness initiative to help save lives in Brooklyn.
The initiative that will launch today was spurred by a recent spate of fires in Borough Park which resulted in the tragic loss of lives, homes and property. Less than two weeks ago, on October 16, a multiple-alarm fire left more than a dozen hurt, one still in critical condition, and a number of the occupants homeless. This fire followed closely on the heels of two other devastating blazes which have taken place in the community in the past few months leading to homelessness and even death.Initially the partnership will focus on fire safety via local tabling, canvassing events and outreach efforts online as well as registering local families to have free smoke alarms installed in their homes and providing fire safety education to the community.
“The victims of fires lose their homes and their possessions, if not their very lives. My office has been working alongside the BPJCC to help those affected by the October 16th blaze, and even with all the hard work of the BPJCC and the American Red Cross, I know those people are still suffering. It may be annoying to get a working smoke detector installed, but I can say for certain that it’s easier than losing the roof over your own head,” said Greenfield.
“Fire Safety preparedness is critical to keeping our neighborhoods safe. I applaud the Boro Park JCC and the American Red Cross for partnering on this life saving endeavor and I look forward to working with them to prevent the loss of life in Boro Park in the future,” said Carroll.
“Given the increased number of fire-related incidents in our community, we must make sure that fire prevention mechanisms are readily available. With the support and expertise of the American Red Cross, Brooklyn families will now have access to essential emergency preparedness resources, minimizing the possibility of future accidents,” said Nadler.
Maimonides Kicks Off Holiday Season With ‘A Celebration of Light’ Event
Maimonides Medical Center will host “A Celebration of Light” to kick-off the Christian holiday season today.
The annual event brings together the Pastors of Christian parishes in South Brooklyn, and allows Maimonides to provide financial support that helps defray the cost of Christmas lighting at each parish.
